Living Fiction
by emptyvoices
Summary: <html><head></head>What happens when the two authors of Lost in Time and When the Stars Burn Out find themselves swept into the very world they only attributed as imaginary? The very creators of Sara Thomas and Penny Carter now must struggle for their own survival and sanity as they begin to find their fate not much different from their characters when facing the tenth Doctor.</html>
1. Sunless Sky

**Author's Note: This is a crossover story of a different kind between myself, emptyvoices and Fan Fictional Authoress. However, we are not using our subsequent characters Sara and Penny. This contemplates what would occur if we as the actual authors were suddenly swept into that universe. Our real names and those of our friends were changed for anonymity but background information, perceptions, habits and our reactions are as realistic as we can be given those circumstances. This is actually an experiment of sorts. Many times you try to distance yourself from stories and not self-insert but here we are ourselves, only our names are aliases. For clarification, our stories and characters will be referenced here. For example, Lost in Time's Sara and When the Stars Burn Out Penny. Also Reality and Lost in Reality will also be mentioned by LovelyAmberLight who will simply be referred to as Amber in the story when making contrasts or comparisons. **

If there was one word to describe what Honor Rae was currently feeling, it would be disorientated.

And scared, can't forget scared.

She shivered in her, increasingly soggy, flannel pajamas as the downpour continued around her. She shifted from one foot to another, squinting at the area around her and fervently wished that she was wearing contacts instead of her glasses since they were beginning to fog up making her surroundings hard to visualize. The mail she had only just retrieved was now ruined and likely beyond saving at this point.

She swayed in place and had to lean against the wall of the alley, her slipper-boots splashing in a puddle and her feet became soaked. Black spots danced in front of her eyes, but she didn't faint. Honor Rae wanted to believe that everything that had just occurred was merely a dream, but she was a practical person and not one for self-denial in what was occurring just in front of her.

It had been in the middle of winter, and now, it was spring in the middle of a rainstorm.

She had been standing in the middle of her grandparents' backyard, and now, she was in an alleyway.

She had seen what looked like a scratch on her little red car that appeared to have cut through the paint, shinning in the afternoon sunlight. Now, she was here in the darkness of night, hoping that the bright light and eerie (she was hesitant to call it musical) sound hadn't been indeed she thought it was.

She could find no logical or reasonable explanation for any of it, so she did the only thing she could do: she ignored it and continued on with her life as best as she was able to, focusing on the here and now.

Honor Rae stepped out of the alley and looked for shelter. Anywhere would be better than outside in the cold rain. As she made to leave, a rush of electricity, similar to what she felt before the light and magic show, coursed through her. She whipped around to see a crack similar to the scratch she had witnessed, only far bigger, appear in the middle of thin air.

She blanched as white and the black spots returned with a vengeance, this time caused by both her staring into a bright light and from blood rush to her head. This made no sense to the young woman whatsoever. Fiction was fiction! Never should it intersect with reality!

However, there was little else she could do but momentarily accept the occurrence when another young woman fell from the mysterious crack. The source of her troubles disappeared, and she rushed hurriedly over to the other girl, concerned, "H-Hey, Lady, are you alright? Can you hear me?" A nervous and jittery titter left the girl's mouth. "Are you even a-alive…?" Her last sentence, though flippant and spoken lightly in context, was troubled and couldn't hide the urgency in needing the other woman to answer.

Carefully, Honor Rae flipped the other girl onto her back and felt for a pulse, which she did find to her immense relief. "Thank the Lord," she breathed. "You scared me for a-a-a moment there. C'mon, up you get…" Honor Rae struggled briefly but managed to get the other woman into a piggy-back position. _She's so tiny!_ The red head thought to herself. _Smaller than June who'll just jump on my back and demand a ride, tall-ish but thin…I wonder where the hospital is…_

Thus began Honor Rae's journey into the unknown and strange in her usual, straightforward manner, hoping beyond hope that this wouldn't end up like one of those fan fictions she was accustomed to seeing.

Laura was extremely discombobulated; her last memories were of making her way from the Creative Arts building to the shuttle that would take her BART, the train that enabled her go to and from university twice a week. Her Interactive Media class had been arduous and she had finished her chapter lesson late much to her chagrin. She was frustrated, feeling ill at ease in the program she was struggling to learn despite her professor's attempts to reassure her. She knew she planned to get on the train and write to soothe her rattled nerves. Yes. Writing would ease her stress in the interim and help her get re-centered.

But she had been walking across the prop floor when a sudden burst of bright light radiated from a crack in the wall and she froze, staring at it, her mouth agape. She had written about such things before but to actually see it…she was hallucinating. She must be and she turned, attempting to rub her eyes to clear her vision, when the light pulled her backwards. A scream tore out of her throat and then there was nothing.

Nothing until she woke, finding herself soaking wet and being carried in an awkward position by another young woman with vibrant red hair.

"Wait…" Her voice came out only as a whisper and she doubted the other girl could hear her. She swallowed and tried again feeling the water trickle down her face as her hair got caught in the zipper of her backpack the woman had also lifted. "Wait." She said louder. "Stop…please…just put me down and…"

Their progress halted and the other woman seemed relieved to deposit her on the ground. "Thank God, you're awake." She turned to look at Laura. "You all right? Thought you might've been dead at first."

"Yes, I…" Laura rubbed her forehead. "Where are we? What are we doing here?" Laura struggled to get to her feet maintaining a firm grip on her bag. "How close are we to campus?"

"You don't remember what happened?" The girl posed. "A crack in the wall? White light?"

"A crack?" Laura's teeth were chattering. "What, like in Dr. Wh…" She stopped herself. The other person might not know the reference and she would come off sounding insane.

"Yes, exactly! I saw you fall out of one just like the show, Dr. Who."

"I'm dreaming." Laura said, taking a deep breath. "This is a dream or something. Can't come true. Not what I write…just…" She was talking to herself again. A singularly bad habit she often invoked but the other girl seemed to have more pressing concerns.

"What's your name?"

If it was a dream, giving the woman a name would do little harm. "Laura." She said finally. "Laura St-"

"Wait. Your last name wouldn't happen to be Stuart, would it?" Now the girl seemed excited.

"How did you-?"

"It's me, Honor Rae. We've been writing a crossover together with our characters-"

"Sara and Penny." Laura's face cleared as she looked at the woman with sudden clarity. "I can't believe this." She paused. "But what is this?" She beckoned at the world around them. "It has to be a dream because the alternative…" Laura swallowed. She could not conceive living through what Sara or Penny endured. It was all supposed to be fiction. Fan fiction at that and now…? She took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn't that bad. Perhaps whatever crack or light which was witnessed however bizarre it was, only changed their location. Strange incidents had occurred before and this could just be considered one of those anomalies. Her friend Chris was of a very scientific mind and could very well explain any of these mysterious unknowns.

"I don't know." Honor said. "I have no idea where we are." She glanced around. "Maybe we should find a hospital first. They should be able to help us, right?" Honor knew her own character had been a resident of a hospital for several years but whatever occurred in her transition from the backyard to this place, she certainly didn't remember the Hell Penny experienced. Since her mental faculties appeared to be in order, it was an overall good sign.

Laura took a deep breath and nodded. "It can't hurt. I don't know what else to do." She certainly wasn't like Sara to whom she had given a rather independent and self determined personality. While Laura was ambitious, she was often rather tentative in reaching a decision. Still, they couldn't remain in this alley. If nothing else, alleys generally didn't have pleasant associations attached to it with much in the way of criminal activity occurring inside of them.

She pushed her dripping brown hair out of her eyes as Honor shivered before they made their progression.

They had nearly ventured out to the street when suddenly a man stepped directly in front of them halting their progression. Laura let out a gasp and Honor, feeling her stomach clench reached out for her new friend's hand which Laura instantly took needing reassurance now more then ever.

"It can't be." Honor muttered quietly to her.

"Ladies." He looked exactly like David Tennant but was dressed in the very clothing of the Tenth Doctor. What was even of more concern to Honor was that David Tennant's known Scottish accent was absent. He spoke precisely like…Honor swallowed. It simply couldn't be right. He gazed at them calmly, his eyes fixed on theirs. Honor began to consider whether it was really possible that telepathy actually existed. In her story, it required eye contact on behalf of both parties but Sara's Doctor was described as more tactile. _But this shouldn't be real. None of it…_

"You're…" Laura started, glancing over at Honor and back at the man. "We're hallucinating…" She shook her head. "We need to get to a hospital. Maybe…"

"I'd like to help." He replied, maintaining his stance as Honor looked at him nervously. "I know you both came a long way." He offered them a smile. "I'm the Doctor." He paused seeming to appraise them. "Soooo, What are your names?"

Honor was just as uncertain of what to make of this as Laura but as much fun as it was to write or watch these adventures, she had no intention of being an actual participant. Besides, she couldn't rule out insanity on his part. "I think we just need to find a hospital and we'll be all right. They'll know what to do." Maybe if the Doctor was real and this was his universe, it wouldn't be as daunting as in their stories. He might not be as wholly concerned about the fact that they were from another reality. Yes, that just might work. "Just an accident." She glanced at Laura.

"Right." Laura swallowed. "Haven't eaten all day so since I was in class so sometimes…you know, low blood sugar, I see things. But yes, hospital, like she said. Great idea." What she often euphemistically called her 'writing diet' presented its own host of problems so what she said wasn't a lie. In the last six months, she had dropped four sizes often seeming to emulate her own character's eating habits. Unfortunately, she didn't parallel Sara's ability or endurance at running. Her exercise of choice was zumba and dance classes, which was a completely different set of muscle groups and the only time she ran was to catch the shuttle from school to the train.

The Doctor only seemed to smile at them apologetically and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. "I think you know that's out of the question, don't you?"

Both girls blanched at that comment and a few tense moments passed when a distant shout seemed to disrupt the silence. "Oi, Doctor, what is keeping you there?"

"It's Martha." Laura whispered to Honor. "Rose is…" She cringed as the Doctor looked directly at her and suddenly she remembered how easily he could hear every word that was said no matter how quietly it was uttered. Honor closed her eyes, struggling to breathe evenly. Her friend had inadvertently let slip personal knowledge about the Doctor's companions. They knew the Doctor once had a companion who they would term as a 'ward' in their stories since the Doctor had to keep Ace under observation since she knew the future. Was that his intent with the two of them?

Laura could hardly think clearly at this point but she knew she messed up and indeed she slipped in the very first moments. She was just so cold and her mind was becoming foggy likely due to the fact that she only got around to eating one meal a day. _How did I ever get used to a diet like that?_

"God help us. This isn't good." Honor muttered. At that point, it didn't matter whether or not he could hear her. They were in trouble.

"I'm sorry. Wasn't thinking…" Laura mumbled. It had to be a dream. She turned from the image of the Doctor and attempted to rub her eyes again. Did she trip and fall in the creative arts building? She lucid dreamed before but it was nothing like this.

"Don't you both feel very tired?" His tone had changed and became soft yet even. It was a question but it was compelling to the point that it felt like an order. Indeed as soon as he said it, Honor felt an odd sense of lethargy start to encase her and she saw that Laura was little better. He was approaching their position but Honor did feel so deeply tired that she was nearly drifting.

Suddenly Laura cried out. "No! Don't touch me!" She had taken a step backwards but whatever compulsion had crept over Honor's mind had ended and she jerked up to watch her friend, startled to see the Doctor so close to them. He had reached for their arms and looked surprised when Laura reacted. She was cringing from him. Of course she was. She admitted to being raped by a sociopath in her past for which she based pieces of her story on. Honor couldn't imagine what it was to go through something so traumatic. Family usually surrounded her, having spent much of the summer with her grandparents but now all she had to count on was the frightened girl standing beside her.

"The hospital should be fine." Honor emphasized.

"If we could just talk, I can-"

Laura was shaking her head frantically and Honor was almost certain that he had attempted to use some sort of telepathy on them that only broke due to Laura's response to a flashback. It did nothing to reassert her faith in this individual standing before her. At the moment, what happened next was suddenly up to her.

"_**STOP!**_" Honor Rae boomed, making both the Doctor and Laura flinch. Without hesitation, she barreled forward and punched his left shoulder as hard as she could, remembering a fact from all that writing she had done. Abruptly, the Time Lord fell to his knees and the girls didn't stick around to watch. Blindly lashing out, the red-haired girl ended up grabbing a strap from Laura's backpack and forcibly yanked her around the downed man… who, to Honor Rae's dismay, was already attempting to stand back up.

"Crap-in-a-hat," she bit out, the words running together. _He's supposed to be unconscious or something because of that nerve cluster or whatever. Maybe I didn't hit hard enough?_ The girls exited the alley only to almost crash into Martha Jones.

"What on-Doctor!" The companion interrupted herself, noticing the Doctor leaning against the wall pained from the blow Honor dealt him. Her momentary distraction was all the two of them needed to skirt around her and take off down the street. Laura stumbled as they reached the other side of the road, feeling terribly dizzy as her vision swam. She didn't really know how much longer she could push herself to keep up at this speed.

When Honor Rae came to a stop as they rounded the block, she felt a mix between gratitude and anxiety. Her Minnesotan friend was beginning to wheeze and coughed, muttering darkly under her breath between gasps. Feeling embarrassed, she felt the need to explain. "I like runnin' and all…but 'm not a sprinter…stupid inhaler…left it at…" This time she trailed off because she didn't want to continue the sentence, pain filling her expression.

_Home._

Clearly, neither of them were anywhere near their respective homes…or even on the same earth as before. Although, Honor Rae knew it, deep within her own heart, she didn't quite dare to think to herself the truth of the matter; that they weren't in their own universe and the one they considered home might now be gone.

"I'm not much of one…either," Laura told her honestly. "What was that…back there?"

"Self-defense," Honor Rae murmured, blushing. "…'s all 'bout confidence…and being bigger than life…Just needed a distraction so I could hit that…pressure point or whatever…nerve ganglion, I think." She sucked in a large breath, trying to get the wheezing under control. Hazel eyes assessed her rather distressed friend. "Okay there?"

Laura grimaced, "I'm fine."

Honor Rae's thick eyebrows inched up her forehead incredulously.

"As fine as I can be," she amended.

The red head nodded, straightening. "Good enough for me, I s'pose… Do you think we should get help?" She nervously fluffed her short-cropped hair, tugging on it subconsciously. "Can't stay out here much longer, I don't think."

"Not with him out there stalking us," Laura agreed, shivering. The cold began to make itself known once more, now that the both of them had stopped long enough to cool down and let the adrenaline wear off.

"Onwards and upwards," Honor Rae proclaimed with forced cheerfulness. "Let's blow this taco stand." Walking as quickly as they were able to, they moved hurriedly down the street. Most businesses were closed at this time, as it was very late at night and they were close to what appeared to be a residential part in town. A petrol station up ahead caught their attention and they moved towards it, decided it was as good of a place to be as any to request help.

They entered the building, a small bell near the top of the door signified their presence. A jaded looking teenager looked up from his phone at the counter and rose his eyebrows at the girls' rather bedraggled and wet appearance. He glanced outside grimacing at the pouring rain and didn't see any sign of a car. He looked back at them and decided that they must be without one.

He frowned, unsure of what to make of them as they approached him. He eyed the large bag one of them held, briefly considering whether it hid a weapon. The girl with brown hair seemed a bit loopy and appeared to have forgotten its existence with the exception of making readjustments against the rain. The red-haired seemed to eye him, as if _he_ was the one who might be dangerous.

Alright, he'd bite.

"Can I help you?" He drawled, stashing his phone away for the moment. Although, he had a sinking feeling that he might not return to that game of solitaire any time soon.

"Yes, actually, there's a crazy guy tryin' to kidnap us," the larger woman spoke with an American accent.

Foreigners, great.

The other one shifted uneasily, eyeing the window with suspicion and asking, "Could you please just call the police?"

"Yeah," he said, looking nervously out the window too himself as he saw figures draw closer to the station from a distance. The woman with brown hair noticed them too and became alarmed, drawing the red head's attention. The teen pressed the panic button underneath the counter. He had few options at this point. He wasn't a hero, but he wasn't going to let some poor sods get kidnapped. "Get behind the counter, I'll cover you."

Both of them scampered around the divider and crouched down behind the counter quietly. The teenager made himself look bored out of his mind, taking out his phone and restarting that game of solitaire. After a few tense minutes had passed, the bell dinged and he looked up to see a rather tall man enter the store followed by a pretty woman, both were sopping wet. He gave his best scowl at the mess they trailing in on the floor and he didn't even have to try that hard.

"Someone's going to have to clean that up…" He muttered under his breath irritably.

"Sorry," the man began, but it was clear he had little regret. "But you wouldn't have happened to have seen two girls run by here, have you?"

"No, sir," the teen drawled, studying the two people in front of him, committing their appearance to memory for when the police arrived. "I haven't, sorry." He didn't sound very apologetic either.

"Really?" The man asked skeptically. "Well, that's a shame, as we work for MI5 and they are under our protective custody." He brought out a wallet, displaying it clearly for the young man to scrutinize.

…It looked legit, but why would these two women hiding behind the counter be running from their protectors? It didn't sit right with him. Besides, who was honestly named 'John Smith' nowadays, anyway?

"Trust me," the older man continued. "They have had to deal with a highly traumatic hostage situation. It's an international incident that's been damaging to both public relations and their mental faculties have been effected from the strain. Severe cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and extreme paranoia, you see."

"Plus," the woman piped up for the first time. "If you couldn't already tell, they're scared, terrified even. They're confused and don't realize that we're only trying to help." The teen swallowed hard. Both of the adults were fully aware that he was hiding the two young women that they were looking for in his workplace. Nothing he could possibly say would cause them to think any differently. That wasn't even getting into the possibility that they were the ones telling the truth.

Oh, why, oh, why did he always get into situations like this?

"Alright," he said, causing the two women by his feet to tense and the adults in front of him to relax. "What are their names, then, if they really are under your custody?" Both of the supposed agents froze, and he persisted. "If you really are who you say you are, you should be able to answer that."

As he finished his pointed accusation, two police cars drove up and parked right outside of the building. The teen released a breath of air that he hadn't been aware that he had been holding. The woman groaned, mildly exasperated, "Great, it can't ever be easy with you, can it?"

"Guess not," the man muttered as a few officers entered the store.

As all of this was going on, Honor Rae could only stare in undisguised horror at a poster that was tacked up on the corkboard.

_**VOTE  
>SAXON<br>[X]**_

Laura raised her eyebrows at Honor staring at the officers with hope in her eyes. At least it didn't seem to turn out quite as badly as it did for her character Sara for which the psychic paper never failed the Doctor. The young man standing above them was clever enough to challenge its validity so maybe the police would offer some form of assistance away from that man. Dream or not, perhaps there was a way to prevent this from becoming a nightmare. She noticed Honor staring up at an object on the wall and followed her gaze only to let out a gasp.

"No." The word slipped out and Honor looked at her fiercely as the Doctor tilted his head in their direction while the police ventured into the station.

"Is there a problem here?" An officer asked.

"Ask him." The teenager at the counter accused, pointing at the Doctor. "Claims to be from MI5 so he can take two girls that don't want to go with him." He shook his head, folding his arms across his chest. "Think he's lying."

"Oi!" The Doctor protested, giving him a glare. "I showed him my identification." With a flourish, he displayed it to the officers. "You see, John Smith, MI5, here to take _Laura _and_ Honor _back to headquarters with me. They are witnesses suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It is causing them extreme emotional duress." He delivered their names with special emphasis while allowing a smirk at the boy's astonished expression. Before approaching the girls, he had overheard them exchange introductions and remained a discreet distance to observe before confronting them directly. It turned out to be quite advantageous since they seemed aware of the circumstances of how they were delivered into the dimension although struggled to admit the reality of the phenomenon.

"John Smith." The boy mocked. "A bit ordinary, isn't it?"

"Did you choose your name?" The Doctor retorted while side stepping the question. Laura was reminded of Lilly and how able she was able to side step questions that were delivered unto her. _Wonder what Amber would think if she was here? _She honestly had no idea. When writing 'Lost in Reality', they never discussed what they, themselves would do but what their characters might choose. She clenched her hands into fists to still herself trying to ponder how he was able to achieve their names. It might have been possible during that weird time when they both dissociated upon his command that they felt fatigue. She wasn't well versed in the different levels of telepathy he could establish so she and other authors had made their own parameters in their stories.

The officers were examining his ID looking wary. The Sargent in charge didn't like relinquishing his ground but the MI5 was above his pay grade. He looked at the boy who was standing there as an ever vigilant guard. "You can't. Something's off about him. Think he's a nutter or somethin'"

"OI!" The Doctor's voice was loud. "I resent that! Just doing my job here." He glanced behind the boy to where Honor and Laura was hiding. "I have the authority and they are under my jurisdiction!"

The Sargent could only do one last thing. He called into the station to speak to his lieutenant in charge while the man looked at him with exasperation.

"Dodgy situation, this one." He told the lieutenant. "He showed me his identification and it looks right but it doesn't feel right."

"We can't afford another run in with MI5." His lieutenant warned. "Have to try to play nice and if his identity checks, you need to let it go."

"But-"

"That's an order, Sargent. Offer assistance. Finish up and report back to the station." The Lieutenant said.

The Sargent sighed, knowing he expected little else. Still he hated what he had to do and grimaced as he disconnected. The least he might be able to offer was some reassurance to these young women if they were this panicked.

He walked just behind the counter and looked down at the two women in sympathy reminded briefly of his own daughter waiting back at home. They weren't much older then she was. He took a deep breath.

"Honor, Laura, those are your names, right?" He asked gently.

They glanced at him nervously and finally the one with light brown hair nodded in confirmation. "I know you're scared but it's all right. No one here wants to hurt you." He nodded his head towards the man he knew as John Smith. "Might be a bit of an odd fellow but…"

"No." Honor was adamant. "You can't give us to him. He's…"

"He's what?" The Sargent looked at her. "Did he hurt either one of you?" If there was grounds for abuse, he might be able to make a case to his lieutenant.

Honor hesitated. She didn't want to lie and Laura looked equally torn.

"I was assaulted." Laura suddenly proclaimed and at the same time the Sargent and the Doctor both asked, "What?!" The question came at the exact same time.

"Did he…?" He turned to look at the Doctor with disgust who shook his head in denial before the officer glanced back at Laura.

"No one else was there." Laura told him honestly and the Sargent was now glaring at the Doctor with a stormy expression.

"You abused your own witnesses?" He demanded.

"What?! Of course not." The Doctor denied. "She's traumatized and-"

"They are coming with me to the station where you can answer a few questions and-"

The Sargent had made a mistake of getting too close to the Doctor for which the Doctor latched onto his arm. A presence seemed to hover inside his consciousness. "_You aren't worried about her accusation. The girls are traumatized. They belong with me."_

Now, he knew with utter certainty that the girl's accusation had no merit. It was a simple, desperate ploy from two traumatized girls and he turned, rubbing his forehead back to Honor and Laura. "You need to go with him. That is where you both belong."

"But you just said-!" The boy behind the counter protested.

"Enough. He has a job to finish." The Sargent said watching the Doctor approach the girls who seemed to skitter backwards.

"Why don't the two of you just calm down." He suggested, his eyes fixed on theirs.

"You shouldn't be real." Laura muttered under her breath, closing her eyes. "Shouldn't even be here…"

"Laura, look at me." He ordered but she outright refused. Neither girl would provide him that sort of opportunity. Instead, they looked for a means of escape.

"There is no where to go." The Doctor said, lowering his voice. "You see this?" He displayed his sonic and Honor breathed in sharply. "Both your signatures are programed in here. I'll always be able to-"

Without thinking, Laura sprung from her sitting position and ripped the sonic out of his hand, clutching onto Honor's hand, running out the back door she had spotted during the several tense moments she had been forced to kneel back there. It was an employee exit and it meant another exhausting sprint. What choice did they have? The moment with the sonic seemed to just be an impulse but perhaps after having written her character steal the object so often, the idea was latent in the back of her mind.

"Can't keep running." Honor wheezed beside her.

"I know." Laura was also out of breath as they crossed the street to stare at a huge mass of trees. "Hyde Park." She whispered.

"You know it well?"

"Walked through it a couple times with my best friend." She thought quickly. "The lake."

"You want to go swimming? Now?" Honor seemed speculative. Was her fan fiction friend actually mad? She remembered reading about Sara's swim in the dead of winter as she desperately tried to escape from the Time Lord Victorious.

"No, but there's a huge mass of trees. Easy to hide, climb…"

"Oh perfect." Honor said as they both ran for the shelter of the forest. "What about that? Reminded me of Sara the way you…" Her voice trailed.

"I just didn't even think." Laura said. "He said he would always be able to track us and…"

"But he will probably just make another one."

"I know." Laura gritted her teeth. "You don't think I remember that?"

"Still, if we can find out how to use it…" Honor speculated. "How to get cash from an ATM, might be handy."

"There must be hundreds of settings on this thing." Laura complained examining the object in her hand.

"Two thousand four hundred and eighty two." A voice said behind them. Both girls turned in panic to see the Doctor and Martha approach them. "Possibly still counting." Just as predicted, he did indeed have a spare. Laura took a deep breath.

"I-look, I didn't mean to take it." She tried. "it just happened."

"Why don't you hand it over, come with me. We can talk about it." He offered.

"The two of you look like you're read to drop where you stand." Martha observed. "Promise he'll fix whatever is wrong and-"

"Oh, like making you a into a soldier instead of a doctor. Sure, nothing wrong with that." Laura said spitefully. She rather disdained how the Doctor treated Martha but then she internally cringed as the Doctor seemed to examine her. She was a media major. She was used to criticizing television shows and films in class while invariably having several staunch debates about the topics at hand. But she wasn't in a classroom and Martha wasn't a classmate. She had slipped up again.

"Sorry." She told Honor quietly.

Honor shrugged trying to think. She felt cornered and honestly tired at the point of collapsing to the ground. All she could think about was her fervent desire to simply go home. If this was a dream, why couldn't she just wake up?

"Moderate psychic ability." The Doctor said to Martha. "Interesting."

"At least he didn't call us-" Honor started.

This time Laura shook her head frantically and Honor stayed silent. "So, you want your sonic back?" Laura asked.

He raised his eyebrows. They knew the name of his device. They likely knew so much more then what they were admitting. "Yes, I would." The Doctor said.

This time, she threw the object hard at him, directly at his head. He appeared startled, changing position to catch it. They were on their feet running again, the rain and the trees making their path all but obscured and suddenly the inevitable happened. Laura tripped over a tree branch, falling down hard on her hands and knees letting out a brief cry of pain. She struggled to regain her footing seeing that Honor hadn't noticed her fall but those precious seconds were costly. He had already taken hold of her, his arms pinned her against him quite easily. Either he was far stronger then she anticipated or her lackluster eating habits made her so weak she was no match to him. She could hardly even struggle and in her panic, flashbacks started to torment her of a particular night trapped with a man in a bathroom so similarly confined.

"No…just, please…" She begged. "Please let go." She started to hyperventilate. This simply couldn't be happening. Not again. Not to her.

"Just take it easy." He spoke to her soothingly before glancing at Martha. "We need to find Honor."

"What about Laura, Doctor?" Martha asked. "Seem to have your hands full and she's not going to-"

"Not to worry." His grip shifted on Laura so he was only restraining her with one arm and she panicked feeling his fingers come to rest on her temple. She desperately tried to shake him off knowing full well his intent. "Now Laura," He started calmly, speaking softly in her ear. "I think you've had a very long night, wouldn't you agree?"

Her body was starting to weaken as she felt his words become a driving force, moving through her and she felt…yes, it had been a long night. Such a long night.

"I was-it's…" What was she trying to remember? They were running and they were both so afraid. Why wasn't she scared now?

"You must be _very tired. _Aren't you, Laura?"

Indeed she was. All the lethargy was returning and she felt herself sinking as he supported her weight. "So tired." She repeated as he continued.

"Right now you just want to _sleep." _With that command, she found herself slipping away with only the brief thought that perhaps when she woke, she would find herself back in her own bed.

When the Doctor picked up a now unconscious Laura, Martha glanced up at him. "Didn't know you could…" She hadn't actively seen him use hypnotism like that before.

"Sometimes I have no choice." He headed back to the TARDIS with his companion and his incapacitated new passenger.

"So what now?" Martha said.

"I'll get her into sickbay." He had suspicions but needed to run further tests. "Why don't you watch her while I fetch Honor."

Martha shook her head as they entered the TARDIS. "You make it sound so easy." Honor seemed rather determined to her and not likely to simply go along with the Doctor. It was only luck that enabled him to catch Laura.

"You never know. I do have my ways." He said half in jest. Moments after he placed Laura in the medbay, he was back outside searching, closing in quickly on the other girl's signal. If he could just play his cards right, maybe she would come with him without protest.

But as he caught up to her near the Peter Pan statue close to Kensington Park, he grimaced upon seeing her expression. Things were never simple especially when it came to him.

Honor Rae scowled the moment she caught sight of the Time Lord from her seat on the ground. She really couldn't keep up with this whole running business, no matter how much she liked it. With a stitch in her side adding to her already labored breathing from asthma, she had little choice but to let herself gracelessly slump on the ground in one of the puddles next to some sort of statue. She didn't really care to examine it.

Removing her glasses in a hopeless attempt to wipe of the water obscuring her vision on the lens, the red-head snubbed the Doctor's presence with a terse, "Nice to see you, Doc, g-guessin' you're here to pull some tr-trippy juju?" Her sour expression, completely directed on her glasses at the moment, only grew in intensity when she found that she was shaking too much to properly attempt cleaning them whatsoever. Not to mention that she was already soaking wet. "Where's Laura?"

"She's back in sickbay," the Doctor told her as he continued to carefully approach her. "Don't you want to join her?"

The girl laughed tersely, which she quickly tried to rein in, however, she wasn't quite able to hide the peculiar smile on her face. "Crap, I shouldn't be laughing, it's not funny. Lucky for you she's not Sara…" She trailed off and turned to frown at him tiredly. Most of her anger disappeared, too cold and miserable to keep up the energy to be mad, leaving her feeling resigned. It was always so much easier to keep on going, keep on fighting, when she had someone else to worry about. It kept her moving forward and able to ignore her own aches and pains for just a bit longer. She blamed her innate mothering instincts. "Why're you even botherin' anyway? Don't you have something better to do? Just let us go."

"I can't do that," he told her as he came to a stop next to her, faintly surprised that she didn't put up a bigger fight. He absent-mindedly rubbed his left shoulder as he tried to give her an explanation, "You and your friend are anomalies. Somehow able to go through the void completely unprotected _and survive_. There is also something a bit off about the both of you that my sonic can't identify. I need to do some tests to see what it is."

Her eyes followed his hand movement as he massaged his shoulder where she injured him and grimaced. "I'd say 'I'm sorry,' but I'm not."

He frowned, "What I don't understand, is what I've done wrong. _Yes,_ I might have made a mistake in cornering you two and chasing you both, but this doesn't cover all the mixed reactions I'm getting from either of you. I only want to help."

Honor Rae shuffled, feeling a bit guilty and embarrassed at being chided. "I…We…I just don't want us endin' up like…" She made a frustrated movement with her hands, getting upset with both herself and the source of the whole problem. "You're just some guy, alright, but-but you're not. We don't know you, we…we know _of_ you, and-and that's scary enough as it is. Not all the, uh, all the stories are very flattering, Doctor. It-It also doesn't help with the, uh, hypnotism."

"You weren't giving me much choice."

"_Baloney_, there's _always_ a choice," she protested, feeling a brief flicker of snappishness at him _not understanding _where she and Laura were coming from and his seeming inability to admit he was _wrong_ and needed to _back off_. "It just doesn't…doesn't mean it's easy."

"Exactly my point," the Doctor finally growled. "You are both leaving me with few options and are biased against me for some reason. I shouldn't have to prove myself against some phantom, when you just said yourself that _you don't know me_. You are acting like a child."

"Because I am one!" Honor Rae burst out, feeling the start of tears prickling in the corner of her eyes. Her nose started wiggling minutely, and she irritably rubbed at it with her hand. "Okay? I just want to go home. I'm scared! I don't do the TLV, I only do TV. I'm not like those people back home who'd love something like this to happen to them, alright? I don't-_we_ don't need _this_-" she waved her hand to encompass the area around them "-whatever this is." She swallowed hard with some difficulty from the lump in her throat, finally gathering the courage to look at the Doctor straight in the eyes, imploring, "_Please_…just, even if we can't get home, let us be, just _let us be_."

The Doctor closed his eyes, feeling just as weary with the situation as the emotional girl beside him. "I can't do that. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He offered the disheartened and beginning-to-cry girl a hand, giving the illusion of offering her choice. They both knew that there wasn't one. The Doctor frowned at her pale and pitiful appearance, taking notice of the shivers wracking her frame and the slightly bluish tinge beginning to appear on her lips. He removed his trench coat, draping it around her shoulders as he began to lead her back to the TARDIS. Hypothermia for humans was nothing to sneeze at, he knew, and it would be the last thing he needed on top of the two new passengers he acquired.

The trip back to the TARDIS was a silent one, spent mostly by the Doctor leading the way and Honor Rae noiselessly sobbing. By the time they entered the sentient ship, she had managed to compose herself for the most part and he heard her let out a small exclamation of awe at the sight that awaited them inside, "It's flippin' huge…!" That drew a tiny smile from the Time Lord as he closed the door, making his way to the console and set about the process of piloting the ship into the Time Vortex. The moment that task was done, he turned his attention back to his emotional…guest.

He heard her mutter, "If this is a dream, it'll make for awesome writing, as far as that goes." The Doctor frowned, he supposed he could understand someone having difficulty believing in a situation like this and seeing it could be hard to swallow as part of reality, especially since these two girls had survived something he, _himself_, didn't think was possible. If this kept on to be a reoccurring statement and belief on their part, though, he would begin to fear for their own grip on sanity.

"Honor," he said slowly, gaining her attention.

She looked up at him warily, "Y-Yeah?"

"We should get you to sickbay," he suggested in a soothing tone. "A nice change of clothes and a hot cuppa, should do it, eh?"

Honor Rae nodded, still a bit uneasy and now feeling embarrassed, "That'd be nice, thanks, I s'pose." She wondered if it would be easier to just let the Doctor get all the curiosity out of his system…maybe he'd see nothing too special about her and Laura other than the fact that they were absolutely covered in void stuff. He didn't seem all that bothered with Mickey and Rose since they were in the same position, although, Honor Rae had to admit that Rose was traveling with him and now it was a moot point anyway. The reason still stood, however. The two of them being covered in void matter shouldn't be that much of an oddity.

Or, at least, in her humble opinion, anyway.

Either way, the sooner she started talking with Laura about this whole hairy problem, the better. If she had to settle down and be cooperative, she'd do it… Besides, she really was starting to feel bad about how she had been treating the Time Lord. The dark Doctor she and Laura had come up with had only been an interpretation of him in one of his bleakest moments. Right now, he had just lost Rose and was a bit short on patience because he was still grieving. It didn't really excuse the scare he had given the two young women earlier…but it could explain things pretty well.

Wait, why was he looking at her like that?

"Erm, yes?" She asked.

"I asked what you meant by TLV earlier, never heard of that term before," he repeated, his expression somewhere between concern and amusement. "Are you feeling well? Is your vision fuzzy, ears ringing?"

"N-No, I was just…thinkin'…" The Doctor raised both eyebrows at that and Honor Rae flushed, feeling a bit miffed but decided that she wasn't up for a fight of any kind, too bone-tired. Now, how exactly was she going to dig herself out of the hole she just put herself into? "Terrible Live Version," she muttered. "…and Televised Version. People on Fan Fiction like to think that stories follow along the line of what's seen in movies or on the net. Real life doesn't work like that."

"Ah, so it's an acronym," the Doctor mused to himself. "First time I've heard of anything like that."

"Pretty common on Fan Fiction for writers that like to be more realistic on their stories," Honor Rae told him, relieved that her ruse worked. Usually, she could keep a pretty straight face when it came to lying, but she was just so _tired_, she just said the first thing that came into mind. She wasn't altogether sure he would necessarily buy it. Martha looked up from her seat next to the bed Laura was lying on. Laura, herself, looked much better, dry and with clean clothes that were common for people in hospitals to be wearing. Her friend from California was still asleep.

The Doctor dug around in a cupboard nearby and then handed her some of the same hospital clothes that were roughly in her size. "Thank you," she mumbled awkwardly, before going inside of the bathroom she noticed in the far corner of the room. It was complete with all amentias, Honor Rae noted to her surprise, with a tub and everything. She didn't feel much like taking a shower, already soaking wet as it was. She looked up at the towel rack and grabbed one from there, stripping, and drying herself off completely. Dressed in the hospital tunic-like shirt and capris, she felt much better and now the smallest bit warmer.

"Good thing I got my hair cut so short… 's already drying… wish I had a hair brush, dagnabbit," she muttered to herself before eying the sodden clothes that she tossed in the tub. There was no need to leave a wet mess everywhere, she started to think to herself. A gleam of metal caught her eye and she turned to find the source, a small spring door labeled 'laundry.' She stared at it incredulously, wondering if it could really be that easy…

She shrugged. Sometimes, it was best to not look a gift horse in the mouth. Dumping the sopping pajamas and slipper-boots into the little door, she watched them slide down the chute, probably to never be seen again. She slipped out of the bathroom, finger combing her hair. The Doctor was talking with Martha but they both stopped as Honor Rae approached them. _Not very subtle_, she thought to herself, exasperated.

They had appeared to have been in a hushed argument, one that Martha had won if the Doctor's irritable but resigned expression was any indicator. "You should get some rest after you drink some tea to raise your core temperature," Martha told her. "It's been a long day for everyone. After you and Laura wake up, we can talk, _maybe_ do some tests if you both feel up to it." The last half of the sentence was more directed at the Time Lord than it was to the red head, but she wasn't complaining.

It rather felt like a 'get out of jail free' card. The Doctor's face was inscrutable.

Needless to say, Honor Rae readily agreed to this suggestion. "Sounds great," she mumbled. "I'm pooped." With that lackluster declaration, she gracelessly flumped on one of the many beds with a long and deep sigh…rather uncaring of what anyone else thought at this point in time. The idea of sleep and postponing any interrogation or testing was so appealing, she was almost able to ignore the presence of the two impossible people in the room if she focused hard enough.

Footsteps approached her and with a groan, the young woman sat back up, accepting the warm cup from the Time Lord. As she hesitantly sipped, she immediately noticed a sweet flavor that didn't quite belong to either sugar or honey. Whatever the flavor was, she could hardly keep herself from downing the tea quickly, despite how the beverage scalded her tongue.

She didn't notice how carefully the Doctor was watching her nor how he looked faintly pleased with himself when she finished the entire cup. Both actions hinted that the contents of the tea weren't completely innocuous. This was further proven when Honor Rae fell into a rather deep sleep only a minute or two after…as if she had been drugged. There was little doubt then that was precisely what he had done.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Although she had been exhausted and drugged, leaving her not due to wake for a few hours yet, Honor Rae found herself suddenly wide awake and tense. This was not an unusual occurrence and she slowly relaxed back into the bed she was resting on. The nightmare she had was not a pleasant one, involving weeping angels that for some reason were completely invisible unless you were looking straight at them, so mirrors and using just the corner of your eye wasn't effective. It left her spooked and unnerved.

_What time is it?_ She blearily thought to herself. _It feels like three in the morning_… She turned her head to the left but saw only darkness. _Shoot, I guess the power went out…Am I snowed in? I should probably check…_ The very thought made her groan with lazy reluctance. _I'm too tired…Feel like I got mowed over by a bulldozer…What did I do last night_? She couldn't remember.

That wasn't very unusual either, most of her days had a tendency to blur together and she would lose track of them or sometimes forget them altogether if nothing too important occurred. It also didn't help that she had awoken mere moments ago. _I'll figure it out later, I s'pose…Although I really need to pee…_ She lay there for close to a minute more, trying to go back to sleep to no avail, before she exploded out of bed, pushing back the covers.

She cracked her back and stretched before sliding her feet to the floor. Eyes squinted and heavy from fatigue, she automatically made her way to where her door out of her room should have been, only to run into another bed. With a yelp, the red head recoiled, toes smarting and looking around with confusion as she stared blankly at the bed she just bumped into. _Where had that come from?_

Honor Rae stood there in a stupor, pondering just how the bed came into existence, when a voice spoke up from behind her, causing her to let out a startled shriek. "Alright over there?"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Laura woke up to find herself in complete darkness and she glanced in front of her to where she could at least find reassurance of light coming from the street lamps from her neighbor's house across the street through her front window. Nothing was there. Just a singular void in front of her with no indication of light and her throat swelled in panic. She struggled to push herself up into a sitting position only to feel a brief tug of something that seemed cinched into her arm. Her fingers flew to the foreign object finding it to be metallic and any attempt to pull at the device caused her to wince in pain. _What the hell…?_

She suddenly felt a jolt as someone seemed to ram directly onto the bed she was lying on and heard a yelp of pain and Laura let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't alone in this…whatever this place was. She called out to the presence that she knew stood just nearby. "Hey…" She paused. "Alright over there?"

"Laura?"

It was Honor's voice and Laura felt some of her panic subside. She wasn't trapped in some purgatory alone. "Honor, thank God. You okay?" She bit her lip. "I can't see a damn thing."

Honor's hand seemed to search for hers and then grasp it. "Not just you. Neither can I." There was a latent pause. "My head. I must be tripping. Need a bathroom. Can't find a door."

"I hoped-I wanted when I woke up to be back in my own bed." Laura's voice trembled. She wasn't brave like Sara or seemingly Honor for that matter. "Home. Where is our home?" Her mind drifted to worse case scenarios. "What if our universe got obliterated too? What if-"

"Hey! No! None of that. Have to think positive. We'll get ourselves back home. You just wait." Honor reassured.

Laura took a deep breath. She had to stay calm. "Where are we? Why can't we just have some light or-"

Suddenly their surroundings were illuminated and Laura let out a gasp. "The actual TARDIS medbay." For a moment she stared in wonder at the strange symbols that were scrolling right above her bed and then to the various instruments around her.

"Wait, what's he doing to you?" Honor demanded, pointing to Laura's arm and they both looked down at the strange metal object that encased her elbow, with tubing filled with glowing particles emanating from a cylinder that hooked above the bed.

Immediately, Laura seized and yanked at the object. "I can't get it off!" She immediately felt dizzy at any number of conclusions flooding through her mind. "What if he's running…"

"Tests? Experiments?" Honor heard both him and Martha mention their intent to do the very same when they were ready. Of course, it seemed they were ready when the Doctor dictated since he had taken measures to drug Honor's tea. _So much for waiting for us to wake up…_

"You'd think he'd wait. Came back with him here and for him to slip me a roofie…" Honor's expression darkened and Laura scowled.

"He drugged you?" Her expression soured. "He actually drugged you. Of all the…" She shook her head. "Well, why should I be surprised. Shouldn't expect less from the Time Lord Victorious." She muttered. "Forced me to sleep just like-"

"Now I see." A voice interrupted them. "TLV. Time Lord Victorious." It was the Doctor entering the sickbay and Laura glanced at Honor in panic. What had she done? No, she needed to fix this. Sara was a terrible liar but she was not.

"Seems appropriate to call someone who just chased us down and imprisoned us onboard." Laura told him evenly. "I'm sure you've heard worse."

"Oh certainly. Once or twice, but Laura," He started. "How did you know I was a Time Lord?"

She was flustered. Did he actually mention it at all to them? She wasn't sure and when he grabbed her, things had become so entirely hazy.

"Word gets out." She was vague. "I'm a media communications major. There are sites about you. I did a presentation for my class on conspiracy theories."

"And I was one of them?" He asked.

"You were part of a presentation." That was also true but he wasn't part of her presentation. Another group researched and spoke of Fan Fiction and its impact on social media with Dr. Who being a popular example. Still Laura knew in the Doctor's reality, information about him got leaked onto the internet so he could infer what she said about his existence as a conspiracy theory to the public was an accurate one.

"The problem I have, Laura is neither of you strike me as ones to believe in conspiracy theories. At least not enough to develop that kind of insult."

"You don't know me." Laura said.

"I know enough when I'm being lied to, don't I, Honor?" He glanced at her friend. "Terrible Live Version?"

"I was tryin' to spare your feelings, Doc." She shrugged. "At least I don't go around drugging people's tea."

"After the night you had, I doubted you would sleep without it." The Doctor readily defended himself.

"Could of just offered me a sedative. I might have said yes."

"You might of said no too. You had the early stages of hypothermia as did Laura. It was easier to treat and for you to recover if you were asleep."

Honor merely glared at him. "Not drinking anything that I don't make myself again."

"Honor," He started soothingly. "You're upset. I understand. I only was trying to help. What I gave you assisted in bringing back up your core temperature. The sedation was only a side effect."

"Fine…" Honor was exasperated. "Just fine. Bathroom. Where is it again?"

"Oh…" The Doctor was startled at the swift change in topic. "Just right over there. Next to the lab."

Honor nodded and glanced back meaningfully at Laura. "I'll be back in just a sec."

Laura nodded slowly, feeling her stomach twist into knots as Honor exited the room leaving her and the Doctor alone. If she was really Sara, she would know how to handle this but she wasn't. She was just herself. A student and a writer by hobby. Through Sara, she found her voice, her release to exercise her emotions but in reality…

At any rate, she needed to grow firmer in her resolve. Just because she wasn't Sara didn't mean she was a welcome mat either.

"What is this?" She demanded, forcing her voice not to shake as she indicated the apparatus on her arm. He started to speak but then she decided to cut him off. "No, it doesn't matter. Just take it off….please."

"I can't do that just yet, Laura." He said calmly as he glanced up at the readings above her bed before removing his sonic. She suppressed a flinch as he started to run a scan on her.

"Why?" She demanded. "You said you treated our hypothermia." She attempted to tug at the object with little in the way of results. "I'm not some type of lab experiment and-"

"I found you were malnourished with an electrolyte imbalance." The Doctor raised in eyebrows. "The device is going to fix that." He moved, taking a seat on the adjoining bed and ran his hand through his hair. A gesture Laura was exceedingly familiar with. "Want to explain that to me, Laura? Why you're not eating?" To him, this affliction where humans suddenly became prone to denying themselves food went directly against scientific and rational principles but he knew humans were often given to nonsensical concepts. Regardless of the reason, she was his responsibility now and he would be remiss in his oath as the Doctor if he overlooked her present condition.

_Crap. _"No, I am. It's not like that. It's…" How could she explain it to him? Ever since she really got involved in writing Sara and the darker aspects of the Time Lord Victorious, she lost much of her appetite. When Sara denied herself food in her first suicide attempt, she found herself also skipping meals. It was never on purpose but now it was habitual. Now, she found herself unable to eat more then the accustomed once a day meal. Her studies in college didn't appear to assist in matters. It was her intent to see a dietician at the student health center and then this occurred…

"It's what?" He asked patiently.

"I'm a Creative Arts major." She explained and he looked puzzled. "I'm in my senior year. Have a lot on my plate to finish. When I'm not doing homework, I write as a hobby, a way to express myself but…" It was hard to know what to say.

"But what?" He prodded.

"I get emotionally involved in what I'm writing. Other things too. I just lost interest in eating. Had no appetite."

He was looking at her strangely and she sighed.

"It wasn't on purpose! It just happened and it will work itself out. I sort of joke about it." She tried.

"A joke." He repeated. _Humans! They make themselves sick and call it a joke? _He was beginning to feel the edges of exasperation.

"I call it my writing diet. You know, it's…" She saw the look in his eye and paused. "It's not a big deal. Maybe just lost twenty pounds but-"

"Forty five point six pounds." He corrected. "All in the process of three months." He would put a stop to this since after all, he was nine hundred years old and she was simply human, given to foolish notions in regards to her caloric intake. Obviously in terms of her health, he would have to reassert authority, knowing what was best in terms of nutrition. He released a sigh in seeing her expression faintly light up at the pronouncement of her weight loss. She apparently seemed content with the results.

_Really? Forty five pounds.…_Laura thought. _That's pretty impress-_He was staring at her again, a look that could mean many things. She bit her lip and glanced down at her hands. _Okay, guess not._ "It's fine. Really. Just a phase. I go through them and I end up being okay."

"I'm banning both of you from this 'writing diet'. There is no need for either of you to go hungry while you're on board."

Laura shook her head. "But I'm not hungry. I told you it's-"

"Speaking of which, I think you could both do with some breakfast." He would need to consider whether he should return her backpack to her right away. Her laptop and other technology were passworded against intrusion, a small task for his sonic but a search of her equipment might bear little fruit for him. His true motive would be to take away one of the tools that aided in her own self-destructive behavior.

"In the middle of the night?" Her friend's voice radiated from behind her, startling Laura and she glanced up. Honor had just re-entered the sickbay, her arms folded across her chest.

"On the contrary. You've both been asleep for ten hours." The Doctor corrected.

"I don't really do breakfast." Laura refused. Eating right after she woke up usually made her queasy.

"Laura," The Doctor started.

"No. Why should I?" She challenged, suddenly finding her own sense of determination. "You kidnapped us, just like we thought you-" She cut herself off this time and her face became grim. "Not eating a thing here. I just won't eat at all. Let us go, maybe then I'll reconsider." She had participated in a hunger strike in a tense situation at home. It was a battle of wills against her mother and herself. Eventually, Laura won and if it worked then, it might work now and when she was backed into a corner, she often found herself angry. The Doctor looked at her with intensity. "You think I'll actually let myself be manipulated or used by someone like you? I will never let that happen again!" Laura announced, remembering the months she spent under the thumb of a sociopath vividly. She allowed it to happen then and she would be damned if she let history repeat itself.

Honor was never one to let food go to waste but after the nightmare she had, she wasn't particularly hungry herself. Still her new friend's attitude about food concerned her even so. She wasn't sure about participating with her in this hunger strike she mentioned but right now, her appetite was the last thing on her mind.

"Wait a minute," The Doctor started, his expression a mixture of exasperation and concern. Both his charges were starting to really worry him. "I'm not-"

"Not much in the mood for breakfast myself." Honor said, cutting in. "Look, Doctor, I know you did your tests while the both of us were passed out but what is the big deal? Our void matter?" She challenged. "You've got to have it to. Know your companions did. So what? Don't see you lockin' Mickey up here."

"It's not just void matter." The Doctor refuted. "That's another issue. I visit dimensions protected by the TARDIS. You both went through the void unprotected. The two of you have strange residual energy readings."

Laura's breath hitched in her throat. Energy readings. Would fate be that cruel to them to-

When she heard the word 'Artron' mention as a description, she released a strangled cry in the back of her throat while panicking, ripping the cylinder straight out of it's perch and with the sound of breaking glass, she ran to the corridor. She didn't want to be there. All she could think to do was hide, somewhere, anywhere. After she had been assaulted, she had managed to do the same, she ran outside, stumbling like crazy until she collapsed under two pine trees while shivering madly listening into the distance as her assailant called out her name.

Just as the Doctor was doing now, loudly, directly behind her.

Honor's hand had flown to her mouth and she was in shock at the Doctor's declaration. It couldn't be. They couldn't have been just as cursed. Was this some kind of punishment? The bible often said, 'to think is to do'. They put their own characters through Hell and now had they really set the course for their own suffering? Her dream seemed to be in swift agreement. She felt herself wheezing in panic as she watched Laura break the glass cylinder but dragging along the tubing as she ran through the door only to nearly slam into Martha. Her legs moving on their own accord, she dashed after Laura and they skirted around Martha, running down the corridor.

"Where we going?" Honor asked Laura. "Won't be able to figure out the deadlock in time and I think we're in the vortex so…."

"Never wanted any of this…" Laura managed to say between breaths and mostly to herself. "Wait, there!" She grabbed Honor's hand and dragged her through the door to the storage room and inside the library.

"Wow." Honor was impressed but Laura was pulling her down a particular aisle to an all to familiar book on a pedestal. "Wait, Laura no…your story. When Sara…"

Laura shook her head. "I need to see if the words start to change. We both need to see….it can't be." Without preamble, she flipped open the book and both girls looked at it. Horror started to seep into Laura's expression and immediately she backed away. Honor turned on her heel to look at Laura.

"Did you see…?" Laura started to ask.

Honor opened her mouth to speak only to hear loud footsteps enter the library. "Honor? Laura? It's all right. We can talk about this."

Immediately, Honor slammed the book closed and Laura skirted down the aisle in further panic only to ran directly into the Doctor who took a firm hold of her forearm.

Honor could barely speak, remaining where she was. She kept wishing for some hole to appear in the TARDIS had it obligingly did for Penny when she wanted to hide but nothing happened. This TARDIS remained steadfastly loyal to the Doctor.

Now she was trapped and breakfast was definitely out of the question for her.

**Author's Note: We would like to thank LovelyAmberLight for her assistance and advice as well as letting us reflect on her stories for this chapter. I hope you don't think this concept it too strange.**


	2. Vortex

Honor Rae's throat went dry and she had difficulty swallowing. She felt a heat flash go across her body and knew that she appeared flushed. Her hands started sweating and she nervously wiped them on her hospital top.. Things could never be easy, could they?

She wondered if she looked as guilty as she felt, as if she had her hand caught in the cookie jar, magnified by an exponential amount.

"What's there to talk about?" She muttered. "We're dead anyway."

The Doctor looked puzzled at her statement before his face cleared in realization, "Oh, no! No, no, no, no, neither of you are going to die, it's not deadly, I promise." He had assumed the doom and gloom expression on both of the girls' faces were because of the barest hints of what they garnered from he already revealed. In this case, he was only partially right. He wasn't aware of them having read from the book. "I promise I can explain everything as soon as we return to sickbay." He eyed the tubing that was still connected to the crook of Laura's arm with a certain level of concern

.

Honor Rae followed his gaze and shuddered, defensively crossing her arms as memories of blood tests and IV insertions gone wrong flashed through her mind. She wasn't keen on needles, let alone IVs. She wondered if it would be better to just come clean, and she probably would have, if it had just been her who would be taking the brunt of the Time Lord's wrath. However, Laura was also involved, so it would have to be a discussion amongst the two of them. One that would be taking place as soon as they could be sure that they wouldn't be over heard.

"Al-Alright," Honor Rae said, breaking the silence first. "Just don't stick me with needles, Doc. I hate the things."

"I second that motion," Laura added.

"That's two votes for no needles. Motion carried," Honor Rae joked with an edgy laugh. She reached to play with her hair, tugging on her curly locks, anxiety creating a nervous compulsion to keep her fingers busy. "Sorry, Doc, you're out-numbered, I guess."

The Doctor just shook his head at the girls' antics, eying them both now with the slightest bit of misgiving, unsure of what to make of their anxiety and panic that didn't seem appropriate to simply be caused by his findings…But then again, they had bolted before he could properly explain what he meant by radiation. "Fine," he agreed calmly, having no reason at that very moment to require the use of needles, regardless. They were only necessary as such to deliver solutions and extract samples, something he had previously accomplished, at least for the present.

As an afterthought, he turned to the red head. "And stop calling me 'Doc,' you're not Bugs Bunny. My name is the Doctor." He wasn't overly annoyed by it, but a few people called him that in the past and he was doing his best to not think about them at the moment, Honor wasn't helping matters much in that regard. Best to nip this habit in the bud. Although, if she started calling him 'professor,' he might just go off the deep end.

She shrugged noncommittally. "…'Kay."

He released Laura's arm, trusting now that she wouldn't run off, and led the way back to the med-bay where Martha was waiting with her arms crossed. She was clearly not impressed with either of the girls. "Sorry," Laura apologized. "Just panicked…I guess I felt cornered." Martha seemed to accept this and relaxed her posture. She did, however, still looked concerned as she eyed the tubing Laura had picked up and was currently holding in her hands.

The Doctor whipped out his sonic when Laura took a seat on one of the beds. He adjusted it to a certain setting and the screwdriver whirled as the metal device in the crook of the brunette's elbow released its secure grip. He removed it, and another setting on the sonic promptly cauterized the wound. Laura was surprised to find that it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. It felt rather like a pinch or a scratch.

"Right then," the Doctor exclaimed as he set aside the tubing and the three women became situated, ready to hear his findings. "I did some preemptive scans with the ADT, that's Advanced Diagnostic Terminal, and found some rather surprising results. Not only do you both have void matter, but also Artron energy in your system. It was the unknown component that my sonic couldn't identify, as it isn't something I see large quantities of."

"What Artron energy basically is described as is a form of temporal energy. All humans naturally possess a small amount of Artron energy within them, and when I say small, I mean really miniscule, only about eight atto-Omegas. Now, when travelling through the Time Vortex, the DNA of the travelers will become slightly irradiated with Artron energy from background chronon radiation. Not to worry, though, there are no side effects from this radiation other than a tiny increase of the amount of Artron energy possessed by that time traveler." He paused to glance at his companion.

"Martha, having travelled with me for a little while now, has a higher than average Artron level, about fifteen atto-Omegas, give or take. The longer she travels with me, the more Artron energy she'll retain. However, no matter how long she remains here, she won't be able to gain the same amount of Artron energy the both of you hold currently, which is a little over one billion atto-Omegas, or about one half of an Omega."

Honor Rae had a look of absolute fascination on her face, as well as one of mild confusion as she attempted to keep up and make sense of what was being relayed. Laura wasn't faring much better but grasped enough to ask, "So we have a lot of it, what's the big deal? Artron isn't really that dangerous to the universe." She remembered a little of her research into the components when investigating particle wavelengths that Sara contained. She knew it was the Huon energy that was the most at risk of ripping people out of time and causing tears in the fabric of reality.

"You're both alive," the Time Lord answered curtly. "That's the 'big deal.'"

"Wa-Wait, I thought you said that it wasn't deadly, that we weren't goin' to die?" Honor Rae protested as a jolt of fear coursed through her at that statement.

"To be frank," the Doctor attempted, trying to be reassuring. "If it was going to kill you, you would already be-"

"Doctor!" Martha interrupted sharply. "Not helping! Your bedside manner is atrocious." He had the decency to look abashed at the pale and clearly frightened expressions of the two girls whose lives seemed to be clearly in question. Martha sighed, asking the one question that was in all three of the women's minds. "So, why are we all alive then? If this Artron energy is so lethal, why haven't you mentioned anything sooner? I think death would count as a side effect." She might have thought twice about traveling with the Doctor regardless whether he considered this some type of reward for her assistance.

"Artron energy in the proper amount isn't lethal at all, in fact, it's beneficial. As I said before all humans have it, as do Time Lords, although, we have it in higher quantities…Actually, young Time Lords before they become attached symbiotically with a TARDIS have close to the same amount you do, Honor, Laura," the Doctor informed them thoughtfully. With a mental shake, he continued, "Anyway, how to explain?" He pondered aloud.

"Artron energy is like the little electrical pulses coursing through your body right now, only not like it at all, but it'll be easier to understand if you think of it that way, yes… Basically, those electrical pulses are at a very small amount, keeping you alive and well, working at full capacity, which is a very good thing, indeed. However, too much of that electricity won't cause your body to work faster or better, it'll cause heart failure instead." He pressed his elbows to his knees, glancing up.

"Martha, you have nothing to worry about. The extra Artron energy is enhancing the antibodies in your blood stream and strengthening your immune system. And that's good, brilliant really, because now you'll be much more efficient as fighting diseases. It's just when you have the amount Honor and Laura have that it gets to be dicey."

_Oh, that's making me feel better. _Laura thought.

"Normally, in cases like yours, the Artron energy alters your antibodies to a point where they become autoantibodies and, therefore, won't recognize your body's normal constituents as 'self,' thereby attacking the body's own healthy cells, tissues, and organs. It's an autoimmune disease, which can usually be rectified, but the Artron energy magnifies it to a point where it becomes an aggressive terminal illness, leaving its victims dead in under twenty-four hours."

The Doctor swallowed hard, now breaking eyes contact with his three pensive listeners. "This was something that almost always only effected Time Lords, since we were the ones who were most exposed to Artron energy for long periods of time causing centuries of radiation. We called it 'Artron poisoning.'"

Laura thought briefly of her own thyroid disorder, which technically speaking was an autoimmune condition but a genetically inherited and therefore mild one. Her own white blood cells or immune system aggressively attacked the thyroid tissue seeing it as a form of bacteria which would eventually cause her thyroid to cease working and her metabolism to falter. Fortunately a simple pill made up for the deficiency but she well understood the parallel if her own immune system didn't stop with just her thyroid. _But we're not dead, so that means…._She wasn't sure what it meant. She did know that artron strengthened the immune system to a great degree allowing it to be resistant to most diseases, which was how she contrived Sara to be self healing. _But what about us?_

"A Time Lord in their first regeneration, assuming they are symbiotically bonded to a TARDIS, will have around one Omega of artron energy inside of them. This will build up over the course of that incarnation. When the Time Lord regenerates, we use up that amount built up over time or expel it until the amount of Artron energy saturating our body resets to the specific level deemed 'safe.' " He explained.

"As the amount of regenerations increase, so does our tolerance to the Artron energy. It builds and gets more volatile with each new regeneration, because more needs to be expelled. This is all to prevent the accumulative energy absorbed during the course of our life causing excessive damage. Sometimes though, we accumulate far too much, this is usually during our later regenerations in the double digits. When this happens, when we are exposed to too much radiation, to too much Artron energy, we either die or regenerate within a day…assuming we have any regenerations left."

"What's a regeneration?" Martha asked meekly.

The Doctor gave a grim little smile. "Regeneration is sort of a Time Lord biological trick, we don't exactly die, instead we change completely. When we regenerate, we become a completely new person, new face, new body, new behavior, new everything. We're still ourselves, same memories and same basic personality, but we have a new…costume of sorts, I suppose, a new form."

"Does it hurt?" Martha queried, concern lacing her voice.

"It's like how dying would feel, I imagine. Every cell is changing, course it hurts," the Doctor answered gruffly. "Anyway, how this relates to you two, is instead of the Artron energy wreaking havoc on your immune system by turning your antibodies into autoantibodies…it seems to be becoming symbiotic with you, enhancing your system rather than inhibiting it and shutting it down. Instead of converting just the antibodies…it appears to be converting your whole cardiovascular and immune system." The Doctor glanced at each of them.

"I've been monitoring this whole process after the first scans revealed the initial stages of this ongoing mutation and you both seem to be transitioning into a stable equilibrium without much or any need of medical attention on my part. Currently, the two of you are more compatible to higher amounts of Artron energy like Kirithans or Chelonians." He said with a brief shrug.

"The problem is, though, I don't know what the catalyst for this shift in reaction is or what changes in your physiology will come about from it. There isn't much to tell, as all the major changes necessary to your imminent survival have already occurred. You both no longer have blood types and your cells are in fluctuation. Most likely there won't be any more evident changes for a while, if at all, as the rest of the body is generally far more resistant to physical alteration."

The Doctor sighed, "Point of the matter is, you two are going to have to stay on the TARDIS for a bit longer so I can consistently monitor you both and keep an eye on any possible mutations that might occur for your safety."

Honor Rae had long since tuned the Doctor out at this point, the ringing in her ears making it nigh impossible to hear him at any rate. This eerily sounded like the final process in Penny's transformation into a Skaian physiology, excluding the mention of Artron, as it was hemocyanin that changed her character's blood as opposed to any other agent. She opened her mouth to ask the dreaded question whether their organs were in a state of mutation, if they were becoming larger as if they were-

Her voice froze in her throat and she choked on her question, making her start to cough. As soon as the impromptu fit faded the redhead realized that she had inadvertently brought everyone's attention upon her. If she wanted to ask her question, it would be now or never. Honor Rae looked at Laura for support; help, on whether or not she should proceed with the possibly damning inquiry.

Laura glanced back at Honor and took a deep breath all the while cursing privately. _If I never wrote about Sara. Never created her, gave her time energy…_

Just as Honor thought the situation sounded all too familiar with what happened to her character Penny, Laura felt sickened by the similarity to her character, Sara. She saw the Gallifreyian words start to change in the book and that confirmed their mutual suspicion on what the Doctor's actual name was. She would never admit to knowing it and she knew Honor wouldn't either but if those mind parasites…._No. _She made those up herself as well as the treatment surrounding them. Mind parasites did exist in canon but the remedy was for the person to reason and factor their way out of the nightmare mindscape. The Doctor having to force his way into Sara's mind was just dramatic interplay. Nothing more.

At any rate, things didn't seem to make sense. Mutation sounded like Penny. Artron sounded like Sara. Laura shook her head as she tried to sort the details out in her head. She was well aware of Honor's concern but if they were playing host to an unhappy presence, wouldn't there be the regression? The severe disassociation?

"Has the size of our organs changed?" Laura asked directly and the Doctor glanced at her with a frown.

"Yes." Honor looked at Laura in relief. "Have they increased in size?" Penny's process in becoming a Skaiian wasn't particular pleasant in either story and her hands started to shake nervously.

"Your organs? No. Why would you think…" He paused, releasing a sigh. Obviously they had seen too many movies and thought mutation meant something severe and dramatic.

"All right, a mutation is simply a change in your DNA molecules. There is usually a certain order for the nucleotide sequence, which is usually represented by letters and defined by a covalent structure of the entire polymer bond." The Doctor said.

Laura and Honor looked at him blankly. Of course they did research for their own characters, which usually meant looking up scientific data for the Doctor to interpret. Often that research alone could take hours to do but that didn't mean she suddenly became an expert or a scientist. There was a reason Laura wasn't majoring in biology. She had taken her Physical Anthropology class in college for her General Education requirements and was glad to be done with it when it was over.

All the same, Honor wasn't this science minded either. True she was going into a medical related field but this was a bit too much for her and she was only a freshman in college at that. She attempted to remember any of her research she did into her character Penny and came up with little. Without her computer to look up references, she felt rather clueless at what the Doctor was presently referring to.

"Perhaps you could try telling them that in English?" Martha suggested with sarcasm in her tone.

The Doctor sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Human DNA is coded in a certain way. Sometimes, that particular code gets a little tweaked, a bit off from what it normally should be. On rare occasions there are significant changes that causes haywire throughout the body. You both heard of cancer?"

"We weren't born yesterday, Doc…Doctor." Honor corrected herself and he seemed somewhat pleased.

"Well good. Cancer is a mutation. A very negative one but more often then not, there are these errors in the DNA or damage, if you like, and there wouldn't be any discernible physical change."

"But you said our blood changed and with this artron…" Honor still looked nervous.

"That's the only change I monitored in both of you so far and as I indicated, your body has entered a state of equilibrium. I don't detect any organ increase nor do I expect that to occur."

"So, apart from our blood, that's really it then?" Laura verified.

"It's difficult to say. Considering the amount you carry, your blood has become a darker red like mine still, I'll need to monitor you both for a while."

"What's a while?" Laura was nervous and rightfully so it seemed since the Doctor fell into a tense silence. "Doctor," She took a deep breath, trying once again for diplomacy. "You know we're not from here. We really want to get back home. Please. If you could help us…"

He looked at her with a worn expression in his eye and shook his head. "I can't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's not safe for me to simply let either of you go."

Honor jumped up. "So when will it be safe, _Doctor?" _She pressed. "Let me guess. When the energy decides to disappear on its own?"

"I'm not staying here." Laura fastened onto her earlier determination. "Not with the Master and-"

"What!?" The Doctor immediately cut her off narrowing his gaze at her. "What did you say?"

Honor and Laura exchanged glances and she swallowed realizing her slip in her overly anxious state. "Part of the presentation about you. Our group looked into different websites that-" Laura tried.

"No, I don't think so Laura." He looked at her sternly. "I want to know how you would know about the Master." He glanced at Honor. "Both of you."

"Who's the Master?" Martha asked and the Doctor glanced at her.

"An old…not the point. Either of you ready to tell the truth now? How did you know I was a Time Lord? About the name of my screwdriver? How you both knew about Martha and then Rose."

Laura licked her lips and dug her nails into her skin. She was starting to feel dizzy and the room suddenly felt overly warm to her. She closed her eyes attempting to steady herself but her head started to pound. It was the start of a migraine that she often was a perpetual sufferer of every month since her two consecutive concussions at work. Although, they were said to have healed, the migraines never ceased and she looked around for her bag.

"My backpack," She started. "Where is it?"

"In the storage room." The Doctor answered. "Laura-"

"My purse is inside. I just need to get something out of there." She pleaded.

He was starting to look irritated but Martha stood up as a ready volunteer. "It's all right. I'll get it for her."

"Thank you, Martha." He was relieved and he turned to Honor hoping to get some straight answers in the interim, exerting all his patience.

"Honor, I am trying to help you both but in turn, I need you to help me. How do you know all these details about my life?" His tone was compelling as he tried to catch the girl's eye.

"If I tell you, you'll both think we're nuts." Honor said flatly.

"Based on something you read about me?" He looked weary. "Maybe you can try to give me a bit more credit then that."

Honor looked at Laura. They had both agreed in their stories that the Doctor wouldn't accept the notion of his life being a television show. In fact, for Laura, Reality stood out as an ardent reminder of that principle. When she and Amber did the crossover, she conceived the iPod being found and misconstrued by both the Doctors from some inspiration on behalf of a reviewer. At the time, it was a very entertaining portion in the crossover to write but now it didn't seem quite so funny. She was sure Amber wouldn't be amused either if she was in this position. Her stomach clenched in nervousness as she thought of the contents of her backpack. The majority of the episodes were sitting there on her external hard drive and her iTunes account. What if him seeing those caused an 'event' like the one Amber wrote about?

On the other hand, they were writing fiction based on fiction. Maybe they needed to give him a chance and if he actually believed them, there was a greater chance of him being willing to return them home. Really, was it so far fetched after all that he had done that his life could be fiction in another reality? He had seen things that were otherwise impossible to accept but the two of them were here and so far, accusations of being precognitive, temporally perceptive or time sensitive were not being leveled at them. Perhaps if they told him the truth slowly, he could acclimate and then Laura could show him an old episode with Rose, one that he already experienced as support. _It could work._

Martha had returned with her purse in hand that she usually stowed inside her backpack and quickly she searched around before finding her prescription bottle and without a thought, she opened it, dropped a pill in her hand, popping the said tablet into her mouth.

"Wait, what is that?" The Doctor seized the bottle directly out of her hand as Laura issued a yelp in protest and then looked at her searchingly. "Topiramate?"

"I have migraines." Laura said defensively.

"Never heard of it." Martha was also staring at the bottle out of curiosity.

"No, you wouldn't because it doesn't get approved by the FDA until 2012. Most commonly prescribed for weight loss and migraine prevention."

He looked at Laura who upon dry swallowing the pill, glanced at Honor and then back at the Doctor. "I used to have migraines every week before I started taking it. My neurologist prescribed them." She held out her hand. "I want it back."

"I need you to answer my questions first." He looked between both girls decisively. "What year was it in your dimension."

"2014." Honor answered and Martha raised her eyebrows.

"They're from the future?" She asked the Doctor.

"A future." He confirmed before looking at Honor and Laura again. "Now, how do you two know about me?"

Laura sighed. He was now holding her medication hostage and she was more then a little irritated but still, this could be their best chance at getting home. They needed to lay their cards out on the table.

"It's going to sound kind of odd but you exist in our dimension, just a bit differently." She started.

"Differently." He repeated. "How so?"

She pressed her lips together in thought. "Our reality is so different from yours that it's almost opposite so what you think of as truth, your life, time travel, we consider it fiction."

Honor was listening. Maybe this was a better more gradual approach in contrast to blurting it out.

"Fiction." He repeated. His voice didn't sound skeptical. It gave Laura hope.

"There are billions of possible dimensions out there, right?" Laura asked and the Doctor nodded as she continued to press forward. "Ours is so unlike yours that your entire life is told as a story. We know about it because we watched and read various details about your life."

"You're saying my life is a book of some kind…" He looked between the two of them.

"A television show actually." Honor interceded. "It's been going on for the past fifty years. In our dimension, you're the hero of your own show. That's how we know what we know."

Laura gave a brief sigh. _Hero is going a bit far but whatever…just a word…if that will get us back home…_She considered the Doctor an anti hero, which was what made him as a character intriguing for her to watch. She remembered her arguments in her media classes that he was one of those morally ambiguous characters that walked a fine line between hero and villain.

The Doctor looked at them calmly and attempted to keep his incredulity out of his expression. His earlier worries were made profoundly clear and the two girls clearly were in a state of dissociating with reality not to mention the changes they had already undergone. This was clearly quite serious and required immediate intervention.

"May I have my medication back?" Laura asked and the Doctor grimaced. Getting her off this substance would be the first step in his intercession.

"No." He said decisively pocketing the drug. "I need you both to listen to me."

"Not until you give me my pills back." Laura demanded. _He's not seriously going to…_

"Doctor, this is cheating." Honor said. "We told you the truth. Anyone ever tell you that you don't play fair?"

"I'm sorry. I never promised-"

"So, the Doctor always lies." Honor accused. "Is that it?"

He looked at her stunned. "Where did you hear that?" _How could she possibly know-_He glanced at Laura was nodded in agreement to Honor's statement.

"On TV. That's what we've been trying to tell you. Haven't you been listening?" Honor protested and then the Doctor gazed at them both starkly. That was when Laura knew Amber had been right all along. Why the belief was reaffirmed with the latest episode, 'A Robot in Sherewood' when the Doctor adamantly denied the existence of Robin Hood when the person was standing right in front of him. It flew against his reason and his science. Laura began to feel ill. Maybe they should of followed his example and lied as well since that was his apparent code.

"You both went through a shock and it can be a difficult process." The Doctor started. "The mind is a very delicate thing and the artron in such high quantities that you carry could be connecting you both to the vortex, which in turn could explain your sudden general psychokinetic development. Using the illusion of a telly show as a coping mechanism-"

"No!" Laura jumped to her feet feeling a dizzy reminder to 'Lost in Reality' in which the Ninth Doctor told Sara something very much similar. Oh she remembered writing it, exchanging e-mails with Amber as she detailed the conversation about Sara's supposed time sensitivity or the fact she could see in detail into the future, which both the Ninth and Tenth Doctor supported while refuting her claim of the television series as the source of her knowledge in her dimension. Even the Doctor's viewing the episodes on the iPod were blamed on the girls translating their thoughts on the device, which Ten explained in detail to Lilly. Sara wasn't present for his educated analysis having fled first to Donna and then into the supposed haven of the nearest department store.

_He's the same man. The exact same person. He'll never…_Laura backed toward the door. Honor also followed suit, glaring at the man in front of her as Laura spoke swiftly. "Sara was right. You are a simple minded moron!" At the moment, it felt like just the right thing for Laura to say. It was precisely the response Sara gave when the Doctor's denied the evidence with the iPod lying right before them.

The Doctor was on his feet as both girls dashed down the corridor as he began to ponder his next move. Their break with reality couldn't have come at a worse time and he glanced over at his companion who looked up at him with concern.

"Who's Sara?" Martha asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "I have nooooo idea." He paused. "…but I have a hunch that she either doesn't exist or has been encouraging this delusion or perception of us by saying we were once fiction. This will have to be taken care of immediately and explained to them delicately."

"And what, exactly, will we be explaining?" Martha asked with measured uncertainty.

"Reality, of course," the Time Lord distractedly weaved his way through corridors to the console room without further haste. Martha started to wonder why he was going in the opposite direction of the girls but decided to say nothing, suspecting he had his reasons.

And she was correct, as moments later, the Doctor started flicking a few switches and typing commands directly into the keyboard, while viewing the monitor with a serious expression. The results became evident when minutes passed and the girls came barreling into the console room looking rather bewildered and the Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets, looking at them evenly. They had to know they simply couldn't run from this regardless of instinct or emotion.

Honor Rae scowled, looking rather petulant and mutinous at this point, her ire having been steadily built up over time and patience stretched thin. She looked as if she dearly wanted to give the Doctor a piece of her mind but held her tongue and looked away from the subject of her anger, so as not to tempt herself. Laura looked defeated and resigned at this point, rather tired with the apparent power struggle between them and the centuries old Time Lord. _He doesn't believe us…might as well just say it….we'll know where we stand._

Neither attempted to run again, surprising the Doctor, who was sure they try a second time. When they gave no indicator of leaving or possibly hurtling insults in his direction, he began to chide them with all the grace a grandparent might to his grandchildren. "We didn't finish our conversation. Least you could do is hear what I have to say before dismissing it entirely and running out the door."

Honor Rae's jaw started ticking from how tightly she was clenching it, but she didn't interrupt. The Doctor was alarmed to see her eyes were shining with tears. He dearly hoped she wouldn't start crying again. He wasn't particularly inclined to deal with domestics at the moment. True it sounded rather heartless and selfish of him to contemplate that, but he had a rather long thirteen hours and thirty-four minutes as well, and they _slept _through the majority of it. He, himself, hadn't slept for quite a while and with exhaustion tugging on the far edges of his consciousness, he decided to turn in for an hour or two after this discussion, giving everyone time to calm down.

"You both have what is known as Visceral Temporal Precognition." He explained. "You can instinctively see into possible time lines and into individuals with a strong psionic resonance. It explains how you are able to know bits and pieces of my past…and my possible future. I originally suspected a moderate psychic ability, but your ability appears to be more apt, as my mental defenses do little to prevent you from knowing some of the more intimate details of my person."

Both young women were looking at each other with a mixture of panic and acceptance. They had expected something an explanation like this from him, as Lily's one-liner from '_Lost in Reality_' and '_Reality_' made itself known to them once again, '_He's only Time Lord_.' Laura's attempt to gradually explain their knowledge had been in vain and there was little that could be done since from all appearances, he appeared to be set in a particular frame of mind. It was exceedingly and painfully clear to them that this was one battle they were not going to win. It was rather ironic, at the same time that he was so intractable but neither could say they were shocked by this reaction. How could they be? It was never their intent to tell him of how they came across their knowledge until their slip ups made it necessary for them to do so.

_Wouldn't believe it if it smacked him in the face. Not even the episodes…._Laura knew if she attempted to show the Doctor one of the serials from her computer, she would end up much like Lilly. Sitting on a chair, trying not to let her eyes glaze over as the Doctor spoke about neurotransmitters and pumps in the brain. She wouldn't even need to mention the data ghost in the library referenced in 'The Forest of the Dead' to deter him from his perspective that they were time sens-…no had Visceral Temporal Precognition. _Maybe there's an easier way to say that. Takes so long. _Laura nearly yawned. _Like VTP or Viscerally Precog or…_

"Laura, are you even listening?" The Doctor interrupted her thoughts and she blinked, glancing at him.

"I…" She paused again searching for some medium of half-truth. "I get where you're coming from."

He seemed in part pleased and Laura bit her lip. This supported her reasoning why she didn't mention the fact her technology in her bag contain proof of their claims. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he confiscated that from her. But the next time she got a migraine, she would make damn sure his was far worse if he didn't return those pills he had simply stolen from her. She couldn't fathom going without them unless she had a replacement or an equivalent to the medication she had come to trust. Still, he had no right at all to seize her medication and treating her like some silly incompetent.

Honor Rae took several breaths and forced herself to calm down swallowing what little pride she had. _Just this once_, she thought to herself. _Some things are better to let be, some battles simply can't be won and the only thing you'll gain are more losses. It's nothing I can help_. Feeling a bit more resolved about the whole situation, if only marginally, she turned to the Time Lord. "Alright, Doc, er, _Doctor_, then why do we see it like a TV show? I guess I can understand if this is somethin' beyond a person's understandin' or somethin' that goes against their beliefs. I mean, I for one, don't believe in magic." Laura smiled briefly, aware of the meaning behind her friend's words, and took the other girl's hand in a show of support.

The Doctor, on the other hand, felt relieved, believing he was making headway in getting through to the two of them. Honor had admitted to being unable to completely comprehend what the Doctor was trying to explain, likening it to magic. He wasn't surprised, psychics were often lumped together with the supernatural and the fantastical in human culture. He had a hard time convincing Martha at first the Carrionites were not preforming acts of magic but simply a type of science using words to invoke their methods.

"It's not magic," he told them. "It's a neural connection to the Causal Nexus, a mental link to Time Vortex, if you will. This is caused by exposer to Time Fissures, a crack in space and time, the very same thing that caused you to be plucked from your universe, drawn through the void, and deposited in this universe. It is what caused the psionic sensitivity that you both possess. This ability you now possess, is rather similar to a blind individual suddenly being given the ability to see and can be completely overwhelming. You mind is attempting to cope with this influx of information, translating it into something that you can process and already comprehend."

"So, you think we're mistaking seeing you on TV?" Honor Rae asked indulgently, recalling her last lesson that she had in her psychology class. "Because we saw your face or somethin'?"

"Precisely," the Doctor answered her, looking pleased. Laura decided that she personally thought this explanation was far more complicated than what the actual answer was in reality. Honor Rae was of the mind that she was already tired of this discussion and saw no point in belaboring it. "As I mentioned before, you both were highly receptive to psychic feedback at those first crucial moments, and as I have one of the highest psionic resonances that you be likely to find or run into, my mental frequency and time line imprinted itself into your minds in the form of a show from the telly."

"I suppose that's possible," Laura told him weakly. She did not really want to encourage him, but found little else to defer him. Side stepping the issue altogether such as Lilly had done seemed the best choice so in turn she used her line readily. She wasn't Sara and although her character hated to indulge in others false concepts, Laura would rather not chance being locked up in a room. She was certain Honor would agree. Martha sat back on the jump seat, observing the situation and not participating, acting rather like a referee in case it looked like it would develop into a row. She planned on asking the Doctor to explain it all to her in a bit more detail and tell him of her suspicion that the girls' didn't really accept what he was telling him was true. It was her gut instinct and although, she had a feeling that he suspected much the same he decided to not press the matter that strongly.

"I find it all a bit hard to swallow," Honor Rae told him, finally, losing all pretense of patience, wanting more than anything to have a break. "So, can we get a rain check on this? You know, think about it a bit by ourselves, and then maybe talk about it again later? My brain's about to explode."

The Doctor huffed out a laugh. "I'll hold you to that." He entered a command into his keyboard and then gestured to the hallway. "Every room is available to you unless it's locked, then it's out-of-bounds. Feel free to look for rooms of your own, perhaps a change of clothes of in the wardrobe, or, maybe, grab a bite to eat in the one of the kitchens." Laura found herself all the more irritated when the Doctor looked at her pointedly at that last remark.

"Where's the kitchen?" Honor Rae asked almost instantaneously, thinking that food would _definitely_ make her feel better about this whole situation and would _absolutely_ be appreciated now that all the craziness and insanity of the day had hopefully passed at least for the most part.

"First right, two lefts, down the stairs, and go straight ahead. That one is the most user friendly."

"Thanks," Now so quickly bored and suddenly hungry, Honor left, dragging her friend with her out of the console room. The Doctor watched them go before turning to his patiently waiting companion.

"I suppose you have questions?"

"And some advice."

"It's official," Honor Rae exclaimed in distress as she forcefully chopped a carrot with a large knife. "Once he finds out, we're dead."

"Well, we already knew what his name was," Laura pointed out as she nervously eyed the sharp implement the other woman was wielding to hack at the vegetable in front of her. Her anger was making her movements hurried and Laura simply didn't want Honor to hurt herself. "I mean, you're the one that found it and e-mailed it to me."

The person in question was, of course, the Doctor.

"I s'pose…" She stopped, merely standing by the counter now. "And according to him our knowledge is somethin' we can't help knowin', however, we _did_ take the initiative to look at the book…" The red head trailed off before whipping around to give a stern look at her brown haired counterpart looking morosely at the table. "And if you _dare_ think that it's all your fault, I _will _smack you upside the head. We _both_ looked at somethin' to prove a theory 'bout somethin' that we already knew, as you just pointed out…Actually, maybe we should just tell 'im, that we know his name."

Laura looked up at Honor Rae in alarm. "Are you crazy?" She hissed, eyes glancing to look over at the door uneasily. "When Sara-"

"But that's the thing! Sara didn't know beforehand…we did. Back before all this crap happened, we knew, and if we tell 'im that, lay our cards out on the table, he can't be mad, can he? They say the truth sets you free…"

"I don't know," Laura sighed. "I need to think about…maybe, but what if we need to defend ourselves from him?" She couldn't help but think of the Time Lord Victorious.

"Then it won't be just us who'll be paranoid…the Doctor will be too," Honor Rae grimly noted. A tense silence filled the room before the younger of the two women tossed up her hands, both sticky from the carrot juices. "Alright, that's it! I can't take this anymore! Stupid Time Lord, making me stressed, it's tiring, that's what it is…" She turned back around and grumpily washed her hands. "As of now, in this kitchen, he does not exist. As soon as we leave, yes, but now? No, just no."

Laura watched her, bemused as Honor turned around to face her slighter friend. "Stress makes me hungry, what do you want to eat? I'm making a modified lo mein recipe of my mama's right now since I don't have all the exact ingredients at the moment, but I can cook or bake other things too…except Mexican or Indian food, I don't like the first and don't know any recipes for the other. Besides, aren't you allergic to them or somethin'?"

"…Yeah, allergic to cumin and chilly pepper, but I'm not really that hungry. I wasn't kidding before that the thought of food right now makes me feel sick. Not much of a breakfast person."

Honor Rae frowned, "Fine, I guess, maybe later when it's lunch or whatever you'll feel hungry then. Whatever you like, I'll eat most anything, I'm like goat-girl or somethin'."

Laura laughed and Honor grinned. "But do you want anything to drink? I make a mean lemonade slushie."

"That sounds good," Laura admitted. "Maybe some later…I'm in a bit in the mood for a cup of tea."

"I'm not a professional at it, but you mentioned knowing how to do loose-leaf? Mind teaching me how?"

Laura smiled, "Sure."

Honor Rae gave a loopy grin, "Sweetness! …No pun intended."

"I don't usually have mine sweet," the brunette admitted as she found a kettle and began to fill it with water.

"I have a sweet tooth to rival Ten's and an appetite to give Abaddon a run for his money," the Minnesotan teen told her mock-seriously. "This fluffy figure doesn't maintain itself." She laughed at her own joke before digging in the cupboard for olive oil, soy sauce, and Worchester sauce, ranting absent-mindedly, "Where's his olive oil? Why does he not have olive oil? How can he even cook without olive oil? No Italian or Greek food right there, and none of the dishes that call for oil, and certainly no vinaigrette salads…That poor deprived child…!" She reemerged with a faintly annoyed look, but grinned at Laura to show that she was mostly kidding, warming up to her usual chatty self. "Now the pasta's goin' to stick, bleh."

Laura snorted, shoulders shaking slightly as she set the kettle on a free burner next to the boiling pot of water. The red head continued to chatter to fill up the silence, half-talking to her friend next to her and then speaking only to herself. They passed the time pleasantly as Laura finished making the tea while Honor sat at the table, munching on her lo mein. The subject moved from food to Broadway musicals to actors. "Do you think Jack can sing like his actor John Barrowman can?" Laura wondered aloud.

Honor Rae blinked, "Maybe, I mean, you'd think so, 'cause he seems to be so perfect in the show… Actually, it'd be kind of funny if he was tone death or something."

"Well, he's not that, I don't think. He was able to enjoy Glen Miller and keep in time with it. If he was tone deaf, he wouldn't be able to distinguish the notes."

"Oh." Honor thought quietly to herself for a moment. "Still doesn't change my new head-canon that he's a horrid singer."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough…" The thought was a sobering one and the girls fell silent.

Honor Rae broke it first, "I call dibs on wakin' him up." She was referring to when Martha had to deliver CPR when he clung onto the side of the TARDIS during the episode of 'Utopia'.

Laura stared incredulously.

Honor Rae went red, muttering something about bad jokes, attempting to lighten the mood, stuffing a forkful of noodles in her mouth.

"Probably should leave that to Martha." Laura muttered, trying to ease the tension remembering the details of the episode. "Can't change the timeline you know?"

"Yeah, just tempting." Honor admitted.

"You're not alone." Laura smiled and Honor cast her a look as Laura blushed. "What? I saw him in Les Miserables as Marius. He makes a certain impression."

"I just bet he does." Honor teased. "Thought your favorite actor was Benedict Cumberbatch."

Laura gave a diffident shrug. "I'm allowed to have more then one, right? Besides," She grimaced faintly. "After what we wrote about his characters, I get creeped out seeing his photo."

Honor gave a laugh and the kettle whistled. Laura lifted the pot off, pulled out a couple individual strainers and poured the tea into two cups. "Believe it or not," She started. "You were the inspiration to force me to learn how to make tea properly."

"Guess I'm flattered." Honor said, taking a cup. "How did I manage that?"

"By saying Sara was an expert in the ways of making tea. Thought I should learn then too but I actually had to have someone teach me."

"Your best friend?" Honor paused. "What's her name again?"

Laura looked sad for a moment. "Beth." She took a deep breath. "She lives in Florida with her boyfriend, also named Chris. Happens to be Catholic too. One of the nicest guys you would ever meet."

"But Sara isn't based on her." Honor was pretty certain of that from their past e-mail exchange.

"No." Laura shook her head. "She's mostly based on my friend back at home in California by the same name."

"Really, get out?!" Honor was amused. "Sara too?"

"Mostly but the real Sara isn't much of a bridge jumper. She is an expert tea maker and avid book collector. Always makes her opinion know." She raised her eyebrows. However her cousin on the other hand is pretty impulsive and just a tad volatile." Laura looked around for the milk, pouring a little into her cup as Honor helped herself to a cube of sugar. Honor gave a chuckle.

"They use milk here, not cream?"

"Milk in England. Cream in Ireland." Laura clarified. "You seem to be quite the chef."

"Love to cook. Been doing it for years. Experimenting with different recipes. It's a hobby of mine."

"Now that, I can't do." Laura rolled her eyes. "That guy who attacked me…" A frown riddled her face. "He was a professional chef." Biting her lip, she glanced down at her tea. "I'm sorry. Not a great subject."

"If you want to talk about it…"

"What's there to talk about. Invited me to a supposed church party. Spiked my drink and I…" She paused. "I wasn't paying close enough attention."

Honor scowled. "No, he shouldn't of done that in the first place."

"Well, whatever." Laura clenched tightly to her tea cup. "Any inspiration behind Penny?"

"I suppose like you. She's just very unlike me. Interesting to write and then starting the story with a betrayal…."

"At least we didn't end up in Hell like she did." Laura mused.

"Or taking in Huon particles which could destroy the universe." Honor remembered reading about Sara's second particle wavelength from the crossover. "You know, if Amber was here, she would likely keep us both on the straight and narrow."

"Right." Laura pressed her lips together. "I'm sure she'd love being trapped in the TARDIS and having her theory come true. Wouldn't wish that on her."

"I know. Just….sometimes…" Honor paused. She took another forkful of noodles. "You sure I can't change your mind?"

"Allergic to soy." Laura said absentmindedly.

"Fine." Honor leaned forward in her chair in front of Laura. "But think I should warn you, if you pull this hunger strike, I don't think it's our ticket out of here."

"To fight someone trying to manipulate you, you have to use whatever control you have at your disposal. I've done it before at home. Other places too." Laura protested.

"He's not your parents." Honor countered. "He's-"

"Trying to control us! He took away my pills. They had nothing to do with him! I just want them back!"

Suddenly a rattling was heard down on the floor and to Laura's astonishment she saw a prescription bottle right next to her chair. Bending down, she grabbed it. "Can't believe it. My Topiramate."

"Really?" Honor asked in surprise glancing around the room. The Doctor had seemed adamant. He wasn't going to give those pills back but now it seemed like the TARDIS had suddenly interceded on Laura's behalf. Her friend grasped onto the bottle closely as she smiled for the first time in hours. "Thank you." She said to the otherwise empty room and Honor knew she was thanking the TARDIS.

Still it was strange to Honor. Why would the TARDIS block them at mostly every angle and accede to the Doctor's wishes except for this one request.

"Why would the TARDIS give those back to you?" Honor asked.

"Why not?" Laura countered. The TARDIS that Sara was a passenger on had often came to her defense because she carried time energy. Maybe the same reasoning applied here.

"Laura, we can't even run away from the Doctor properly on this thing and then the TARDIS is randomly listening to us at small intervals?" She remembered the time when the lights came on in the sickbay at Laura's request. How an item appeared in the bathroom when she asked for it. She was struggling to put the facts together, attempting to speculate.

"If only I had my inhaler." Honor pondered aloud but with fervency. Her swinging feet hit something plastic on the ground and Honor let out a gasp, taking hold of the plastic as she displayed it to Laura.

'Oh my God." Laura murmured. They were silent for a moment.

"Maybe we should think about this some more." Honor thought. "Before we come clean."

"At least until tomorrow." Laura decided, sipping her tea. "But when he finds out and he will…" She closed her eyes. "He's not going to ever believe us. Television episodes or no. His future regeneration stood right in front of Robin Hood and told him he didn't exist. We need someone who has a better chance of believing us and getting us home."

"Who?" Honor asked.

"Oh the very person you couldn't wait to wake up." Laura looked resolved. "Jack Harkness."

Honor looked thoughtful. "You know, maybe if we just asked to stay with his team on Earth…be less dangerous then with the Doctor. He could agree." She paused. "Or maybe his old companion Sarah Jane." Perhaps going to Jack Harkness too early could cause a paradox of some kind.

"And if he says 'no'?"

"We can figure out a way to get to out anyway." Honor decided.

"Good a plan as any, I suppose." Laura said. "Still, I'm going to give him incentive to let us out of here. He shouldn't even want the hassle and-"

"I have to say, I'm with the Doctor on this. You're writing diet was never a good idea." Honor told her flatly.

"This has nothing to do with that and I told you it was an accident." Laura countered. "I won't be controlled again. Used again. Not like what happened before." She looked at Honor. "I have a few years on you. The world is full of people that want nothing more then to manipulate us, use us or trap us. Is this really how you want to live? Imprisoned? Don't you remember your story?"

"My story?"

"Your Doctor hypnotized Penny against her will and gave her rules if I remember correctly. No touching the console or-"

"Leaving the TARDIS." Honor whispered.

"And what did your Doctor say?" Laura paused. "'I don't want to have to trap you onboard the TARDIS for the rest of your life but to ensure your safety I will." She raised her eyebrows. "It sounds awfully familiar. Has the Doctor even mentioned us being allowed to leave to go anywhere yet?"

Honor gave a shudder. The Doctor hadn't even broached the subject and only said they had the run of the TARDIS except for the doors that were locked. It was an eerie resemblance.

"Lilly told my Doctor something when he offered to let her be his companion if she promised not to run." Laura was scratching her nail along a small knot on the wood of the table. "She tried to tell him she wasn't a slave."

"I remember." Honor finally said.

"Good." Laura said. "I'm sorry. I won't allow that to happen to me. Not anymore."

Honor was silent for a long while as she thought about the circumstances. "I don't know about joining you on the hunger strike but I can sort of understand where you're coming from." She did comprehend it but she didn't know what to do. Whose side to take. At the moment, she was frustrated by everything. The Doctor's lack of belief in them, being ripped out of their world and last but not least, to be imprisoned in here. She didn't even know where the Doctor and Martha were in their timeline. She figured it had to be after they visited Shakespeare since Martha seemed to be well established as his companion but other then that, she was at a loss. She shuddered briefly remembering her dream. Was that a sign of something to come? That the episode 'Blink' was around the corner? To see a real Weeping Angel…well, she didn't think she could look at a carving of an angel in the Catholic Church the same way twice.

"You know, I had a really weird nightmare." She started as she went into detail of the dream with Laura who widened her eyes in response. It did seem like a premonition of things to come.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They don't believe you." Martha told the Doctor.

"That much was clear." The Doctor sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Their minds are dependent on the television show as a way of establishing order to the information they receive from the time vortex." He grimaced. "Even on Gallifrey, some Time Lords become insane from developing Psychokinetic abilities and the human mind isn't meant to handle such an overload."

"Can you take it away from them?" Martha asked. "With all they have to struggle with so far-"

"I can't." He sighed. "Only thing I could do is erase their mind but even so, the ability would still manifest itself. That would simply be cruel."

"So they have to suffer?" Martha was in disbelief.

"Oh, no, no, no. Not as far as I can help it. The two of us, we can work with them on this. I can help them gain control and focus of their ability."

"How?" Martha pondered.

"Couple ways. Providing some instruction. The second would be telepathy."

"Wait, telepathy?" Martha didn't like the sound of that.

"Visceral Temporal Perception occurs in the mind and establishing a telepathic connection would help them maintain order so they could separate reality from illusion." He sat down at his monitor and pulled up the girls scans, putting on his glasses to examine the streaming Gallifreyian. "Would have to work with them one at a time but-"

"You actually think they would consent?" Martha was doubtful, her arms folded across her chest.

The Doctor looked tired but grim. "Martha, I'm in a difficult position. The knowledge they have could potentially cause a paradox so if they don't consent, as the Doctor, I'll have to act in their best interest."

"A paradox. You mean-"

"Worst case scenario. They could damage or rip apart the universe." The Doctor stated and sighed. "I'll do everything I can to convince them to agree."

"But you'll give them time right, Doctor?" Martha looked directly at him. "They just got here and after all they've been through…"

"Of course, I'll give them time." He smiled at his companion. "We're in the vortex so we aren't taking part in the course of events. I want them to be able to adjust."

"Oh, good, I suppose." Martha paused briefly in consideration. "What are you going to do about Laura?"

Again, he looked worn. "It's difficult to say." He told her finally.

"If she was living in London, she would have been sectioned." Martha was referring to section three of the Mental Health Act where anyone found to be denying themselves food would be promptly arrested and committed to the hospital until they were considered stable once more.

"This 'writing diet' of hers…" He paused thinking of her earlier threat. If she proceeded with her hunger strike, she would leave him with little option. He couldn't let them go and they were both under his supervision. Of course he couldn't take threats of self-harm lightly.

"Maybe Honor will talk some sense into her." Martha suggested doubtfully.

The Doctor was equally circumspect but he found himself yawning. He needed to sleep for a few hours. Upon waking, it would be time for both Honor and Laura to retire. He would assist them in finding rooms if they hadn't already done so and he would run a scan on Laura. If her condition hadn't changed and she remained adamant, he would confine her to sickbay that night complete with the same regimen as before, this time under observation. It might just be enough to break her resolve.

"I suppose we'll see." He said. "So tell me more about this Richard Lazarus and his experiment. You say we're invited?"

"Well my sister, Tish works in the labs…" Martha started and the Doctor's curiosity was even more piqued. Now he knew without a doubt, he had to attend this upcoming launch party for Richard Lazarus's experiment.

"Always did enjoy a party." The Doctor said. "And you get to have a family reunion, eh, Martha?"

Martha sighed and rolled her eyes. "What about Honor and Laura? You going to lock them up in a room while we gallivant outside?"

"What?!" The Doctor looked at her startled. "No. Absolutely not. When we're ready, they'll be joining us."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Honor and Laura idled away a few hours exploring the ship, seeing the very rooms they had written about but now taking it in with measured awe.

"Didn't think the swimming pool was this big." Honor said. It looked three times the size of the one at her college.

"Only wished I liked to swim." Laura shook her head in amazement.

"But you're from California." Honor observed.

"Northern California. It gets pretty chilly there. We're just known for…" She paused as they entered another room with a darkened interior and Laura's face lit up. "Now this is what I'm talking about."

Rows upon rows of wine bottles seemed to stack upon endless shelves and Laura seized one in excitement. "Oh my God. It's a twenty year old bottle of Burgundy, Oak Barreled from the region of-"

"It looks pretty much all the same to me." Honor gave a shrug, looking at the bottle with disinterest. "Going to drink that right now on an empty stomach?"

"Well, no." Laura said. "I was just admiring it. Worked with wines for over a year. Can't blame me for taking a look."

"Been through a few jobs?"

"Working my way through school." Laura glanced at Honor. "Just like you."

"Only just got the one at Arby's but was looking for something else."

"Yeah, I was at the pharmacy for a while. Retail is relentless." Laura agreed as they exited the wine cellar, walking through the corridor. Another room caught her attention and they entered.

"Oh, it's a gym. An actual Pilates room."

"Doesn't that hurt? All those stretches?" Honor asked.

"It's better then running." Laura told her. "I tried being a runner. Got nasty shin splints. Swore it off."

"I for one like running…just wish I could do it for longer."

Laura thought for a moment. "Well, England has a lower pollen count. I didn't have as many problems with allergies while I was here. Same could hold true for you, I suppose." She looked at her friend from Minnesota. "Any interest in doing some Pilates with me right now? It can help with endurance and-"

"So there you two are."

Both girls turned to see the Doctor approaching them from behind. Honor frowned.

"Thought you said we could have time to ourselves."

"And you did for the last eight hours. I thought you might be interested in picking out some rooms for yourselves."

"Rooms." Laura repeated. Like her character Sara, that did echo of permanence to her and she felt uneasy.

"I would think you both preferred not sleeping here on the floor." The Doctor folded his arms across his chest.

"Right. I guess. Rooms." Honor said, looking at Laura. "Have to stay somewhere for the _little while _we are here, right Doctor?"

"Exactly." He agreed easily beckoning towards them. They began to follow down the maze of corridors until the Doctor stopped next to a series of doors carefully opening one, gesturing for Honor to look inside.

She let out a gasp to see that the room was an exact replica of her old room at her great-grandma Reinhardt's with a few differences here and there. The wallpaper was the same feminine print, white bamboo with silver and blue butterflies. The old-fashioned white vanity and stool with a yellow skirt on both from her memory. The soft blue carpet and the trunk sitting by the edge of the bed, a twin-sized bed with blue frilly sheet covers and stuffed animals. The blue curtains with small silver stars and the hanging blue lantern that she never truly found out if it did indeed turn on.

The differences she could find most easily was that some of the objects from her current room at her Grandma and Grandpa Schaeppi's house had found their way here, like her seashell and rock collection, all her books, the small white dresser almost hidden from her line of sight and completely out of the other's vision…A good thing considering the ceramic replica of the TARDIS she made back in senior year of high school was resting on it. Honor Rae was quite certain that if she poked around that she'd be able to find more items hidden about.

"It's…" Honor's voice trailed. "It's beautiful. Just gorgeous." She looked at the Doctor and smiled genuinely at him. "Thank you."

Laura was duly impressed. The room seemed incandescent as though preserved from another period of time. Again, she was astounded at what the TARDIS was able to achieve and adapt in accordance with each visitor. _Or stray. _The word floated in her mind.

"Maybe Laura and I should give you some time to get settled." The Doctor suggested and Honor glanced back at Laura. She gave her a brief nod and smile presuming that now it was her turn to be shown to a room fitting her tastes.

"I'll see you in a bit." Laura said. "We'll probably be across the hall or something."

"Yes…" Honor was still taking in the room but smiled at her friend. "Right. See you in a few minutes."

The Doctor closed the door and beckoned Laura down the hallway as she briefly took the lead while he surreptitiously removed his sonic, running a scan. Inwardly, he sighed. No change. Of course there wasn't. This could never be easy for him and he pocketed the instrument as he made his way to Laura's side, heading to a door. Grimacing, he opened it, turning to Laura as she started to enter but froze seeing the familiar medbay surrounding.

"What is this?" She demanded, swallowing hard feeling nerves cramp her stomach.

"I was hoping you would change your mind, Laura. Make this a bit easy on yourself." The Doctor said calmly. She started to back away but he took hold of her elbow. She cringed instantly and on instinct attempted to jerk her arm away but he held firm.

"I don't…" Her throat was dry. "I don't understand."

"Oh I believe you do." He kept his voice even. "Your hunger strike?" He looked at her directly. "I think you know I can't stand by and allow you to starve yourself."

Her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she tried to pull free. "Then let us go! What about Jack Harkness? He's right here in Wales. He could watch us and then Honor and I could maybe have some semblance of a normal life in London without any of this….please, you can't just keep us here!"

"Jack Harkness has little experience with artron energy and even less with Visceral Temporal Precognition. Both of those require precise monitoring which he simply doesn't have the tools for and-"

"Then give him the tools!" Laura protested. "You're not even trying. You-"

"Even Jack, I won't trust with that technology." The Doctor said adamantly, trying to maintain his grip.

"Yeah well, guess what? Can't make me eat until you do! Maybe you should ease up and cut him some slack after everything he's done for you on Satellite Five! Please…"

"I'm sorry Laura." His eyes indeed looked weary as he put his other hand around her back, capturing her shoulder, dragging her into the medbay vicinity.

"What are you doing?" She gasped. "You can't make me-" Her words were cut off as he reached one hand towards her head. She recoiled violently. A reaction he did not fail to miss. "Wait-no, please don't-" She tried to struggle.

His fingers pressed against her temple. "Shhhhh. It's all right, it's all right. No need at all to panic. You're just fine, aren't you Laura?" Again the words seemed to move through her mind like a caressing wave. It didn't hurt and for some reason she expected pain knowing she resisted. But there was none. There was just the voice, the one she knew she should fight but finding herself unable to summon the strength.

"Just fine." She found herself repeating.

"Right, there we go." He said with encouragement. "Just come over here, lay back down. That's right. That's it." He affirmed as she obeyed, allowing her body to sink onto the nearest medbay bed. "Not so bad isn't it?" The soothing tone seemed to swirl and echo as though a flood that encompassed her entire being.

"Not…." She struggled to speak. No. This was wrong somehow. Why was it wrong? Why couldn't she remember? "…bad."

"Now think about how tired you are. How nice it would be just to let yourself go to _sleep_."

"Sleep." She seemed to murmur and then quietly slipped away into unconsciousness. The Doctor sighed as he removed the tubing he had previously extracted from Laura's arm. Perhaps this one night would change her mind, help her to see his resolve. The next several hours would be long because he knew that Honor wouldn't likely care for how they had been misled and when Laura awoke, she likely would have a thing or two to say to him upon discovering the nature of her predicament.

"It can never be simple. If it's not one thing, it's another." He muttered as he used his sonic to hook the device back into place on Laura's arm while making sure the cylinder he used this time was far harder to break. Humans could be quite stubborn sometimes and he feared Laura would be no exception.

**Author's Note: I promise we're not really crazy but we are trying to examine our reactions given an extreme scenario. So before you get concerned of whether I (emptyvoices) or AKA Laura, has an eating disorder, I am already working with a dietician on a meal plan and do not promote eating disorders as a good idea. I've seen what they do to families and they are a form of slow suicide and that's not cool! **

**A hunger strike as a form of rebellion is used in differing scenarios throughout history to protest imprisonment, is a different matter. But this story does not promote any kind of starvation dieting. That simply would make me upset to hear anyone is emulating.**

**At any rate, I hope people will find this concept interesting even though the 'characters' are new…in a sense, they already existed, I suppose. From reviews from 'Lost in Time', I just hear so many say, 'this is what I would do', etc…so why not really examine what two of us would do in that situation.**

**And I'm sorry. The two of us are fans of the show but it doesn't mean that we would jump at the chance at being occupants on his ship or find being trapped aboard a wish come true. I watch the show and see the character not because I think him a hero, because as I said, he's an anti-hero. One filled with moral ambiguity. **

**Oh, and thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her feedback. She will contribute directly in writing in the next chapter.**


	3. Scars of Life

**Author's Note: I promise I'm finishing the Lost in Time chapter. It is nearly done. It is going to tie into this story and I want to make sure it is just right so please be patient.**

After thirty minutes Honor emerged from her room unable to keep herself from smiling a bit in reflection to what she had seen. "Hey Laura. Which room are you in? Can't wait to see yours."

There was nothing but silence and the red head suddenly had a bad feeling. "Laura?" She started walking along the corridors but couldn't find anything familiar and no matter which way she turned, she seemed to be redirected back to her room. "Again someone isn't playing fair." She muttered to herself. "Doctor?!"

As she made two more turns around the ship, her frustration grew and she started to yell at the very consciousness of the ship. "Laura! Tell me where she is!"

Nothing.

"Doctor!" There was silence. "Doctor, so help me if you keep me trapped in this hallway I'll…." She didn't know what she would do. Slowly realizing her situation, she felt her anger evolve into fear and trepidation as she sunk down to her knees, collapsing on the floor, staring at the walls around her in irritation. She knew he would find her and she started muttering under her breath the words she might say once he did.

"Honor, I'm sorry." Again he had that eerily calm tone. "I'm-."

"Sorry? That line gets old _Doctor_." She trembled slightly. "You just locked me in the same series of hallways! You're sorry? Where is Laura?" She clutched her knees as he stared down at her.

There was that forlorn look again. The ancient expression in his eyes as he looked at her while she clenched her fists as her sides, finding herself breathing harshly. He started to explain the actions he took, particularly the ones concerning her friend and she let out a stifled gasp, glaring up at him preparing to lash out at him with an insult fashioned after her own step father.

_Every time with him! _She thought. _It's like one step forward and two steps back._

She grit her teeth and attempted to take a calming breath. _Just give him a chance. He's big on logic and rationale, maybe I can reason with him, let him know what he did wrong. Tai was never able to do that, he always had to be right. Just one chance_. Her wildly fluctuating emotions somewhat under control, Honor Rae stood up and unnecessarily dusted herself off, frowning heavily.

"Doctor," she began, carefully interrupting him. "You want us to trust you, because you care, right?"

He guardedly answered after a moment's pause, "…Yes."

"How'd you expect us to do that if you use your trippy voice-magic on us all the time? I've been mad and upset most of the time I've been here, Doctor, and for good reason. Most of it's 'cause we have no idea if we're ever goin' to get home and that's a scary thought by itself. The rest's 'cause of either misunderstandings on our part or you with you being…" Here she paused and wiped her clammy hands on her sweatpants. "Look, trust needs to be earned, and you're not giving us much to work with here. Lockin' me in hallways like that and knockin' Laura out when she has her own issues to work out isn't doin' you any favors."

"Neither of you are giving me much choice," the Doctor told her, exasperation showing in his voice. "I had to take action. Laura _needs_ to eat something and it simply isn't healthy for her weight to be that low. I thought you could change her mind when you were both in the kitchens, but that hasn't appeared to work. If you were both living in Britain, she would have been sectioned and committed to a hospital on the spot."

"…Alright," Honor Rae said, going for a different stance. "Laura might be upset for me tellin' you this, but she was probably goin' to eat lunch later when her stomach settled. When I talked with her, she was only doin' this 'cause she needs some control in her life. When you waltzed into it, she felt trapped and she can't bear to be manipulated again. If you want somethin' ask it and say why. If you explained why you're doing it she might actually listen."

"I have already done this, Honor," the Doctor sighed, rubbing his forehead as a headache began to form. "Talked about my concerns."

"And what'd she say?" The red head pressed.

"That she would rather starve herself," the Doctor told her flatly.

"After you gave her the ultimatum?" Honor Rae was surprised at this. "She wouldn't like it, but I _know_ she'd rather eat by herself than be knocked out and hooked to some IV."

The Doctor was silent for a long moment as his brain connected the dots. He never actually warned Laura about what he would do to ensure her continued physical health if she persisted in her refusal to eat. He had never actually verbalized this 'ultimatum' as Honor had put it. He cursed quietly to himself. The young woman managed to catch this and her face displayed the exact extent of her disbelief.

"You _didn't_," she hissed venomously. "Don't you _dare _tell me you warned her about any of this, Doctor." His silence proved to be answer enough. "I can't believe it, I was wrong about you," she muttered incredulously. "You-You not as bad as my step-dad, you're actually _worse_ than him. I…_oh for geez_, I give up. I'm done, I'm flippin' _done_." She promptly sat on the ground and dropped her head in her hands.

The Doctor was both thrown and annoyed with her actions. Yes, he made a mistake, _a big one_, but that did not give her the right to pass judgment on him, not when she likely had also made errors in her life as well. Children, he reminded himself, he was dealing with children. Melodrama and fits were to be expected with them. He had to remain the adult here. "I was wrong, I made a mistake. I had forgotten to tell Laura what the consequence would be, but you know it wasn't on purpose. I'll talk to her."

Honor Rae was ignoring him, and the Doctor knew it.

There really was little he could do at this point, but if she was going to insist on acting like a child, he would treat her like one. With a dull throbbing persistent in his temples, he gazed down at his charge. "Fine," he told her with a sigh, sitting next to her. "If you would rather mope about, I suppose I'll just wait until you're willing to talk." Something he had learned with his own children the hard way, once upon a time, patience won out in the end. He would keep own head even while others lost theirs, which could prove to be challenging even at the best of times.

Thankfully, he hadn't lost his temper with the two of them yet, but they certainly were testing his limits.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor had to commend Honor. She was resilient, he'd give her that. He ended up being the one who cracked first after an hour and forty-nine minutes of straight silence.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry in frustration when he figured out that she was fast asleep in her sitting position.

It was a nice consolation prize to his swallowed pride that she had likely slept through most of what he had imagined was a significant battle of wills. Of course, then again, he also had the feeling that the young girl next to him was truly done with the subject and had grown so bored with her indifference to the Doctor that she had simply chosen to fall asleep. This had to be a first time that anyone had dozed off while in his presence as a result of the monotony and not, from exhaustion or his hypnotic suggestion. She seemed to be a person of both few and many surprises, usually reliable in her actions but remaining unpredictable in her straightforward and frank manner of thought process.

Laura was still a wild card and he couldn't completely get a fix on either her thought process or emotional state. He had suspicion that she was a cautious person who had been greatly wronged in some manner before but no concrete evidence as to what injustice occured. He had a lot of time to think while attempting to test Honor's limits in her current disregard of him and had come to a decision to be more open in his decisions concerning them, as both girls seemed to value honesty and communication. Perhaps that would somewhat make him less intimidating, if not less of a person to be held in contempt.

The Time Lord turned back to the sleeping human beside him and sighed. He simply couldn't leave her here in the corridor. Carefully, he lifted her up into his arms with a grunt and carried her down the hall to her room. The door opened of its own accord, and he mentally thanked the TARDIS as he deposited his…guest. He really needed to think of a more accurate term-on the bed, absent-mindedly tucking her in as his eyes wandered around the room. Obviously, the TARDIS had plans that differed from that of the girls. He could usually estimate how long a companion was going to stay with him by what their room looked like.

For a point of reference, that boy Rose had brought with the two of them after the dalek in Utah, which turned out to be a debacle had a room similar to that of a hotel, while Rose had a room that looked, well, _lived in_. This room most certainly looked lived in and the Doctor had a suspicion that Laura's room would appear much the same. They couldn't really be considered guests anymore, the Doctor mused to himself as he turned to leave. He would like to call them something other than companions, as the relationship between the three of them was different from the camaraderie between himself and Martha. He supposed he could-

A flash of dark blue and yellow caught his attention from the corner of his eye and he turned to look at the object that caught his attention.

It was a TARDIS. In miniature.

Intrigued, he stepped closer to the small white dresser and picked it up. The dimensions were off, only three panels high instead of four and much wider than the police box was on the outside. He could tell that it was handmade by an amateur, wannabe clay artist, the impression of small fingers clearly felt and the edges rugged. Curiously, he opened the top of the ceramic box and found large amounts of spare change in American currency. He closed it and lifted it up high to check the bottom where the creators usually placed their mark.

**For 1963. Honor Rae, May '14**

He frowned and set the ceramic box down. What was so important about 1963? It was a rather busy year, he remembered, many important events in human history, but what about it was important to her that she would make something seemingly unrelated to it in memory, a TARDIS more importantly? Yet another thing he would have to ask about later, he supposed. Probably if there was a slow moment in idle conversation. She said to ask if there was something he wanted to know and he now he knew he would take her up on that, see what she would say.

He quietly left the room and made the trek back to the sick bay. There was a task he had to complete concerning the other American in his TARDIS and he had a notion in the back of his mind concerning modifying a bracelet…He frowned thinking harder on that strategy. He needed to collect his thoughts and it would take him a few days for him to plan such a device. He needed to speak with Laura first, knowing she was soon to wake up.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Laura, just listen to me." The Doctor tried.

She had woken only minutes before and struggled to detach the tubing from her arm but it was all a gesture of futility as this technology, while with the appearance of a simple IV was utterly intractable. He didn't need a stasis field such as the one she envisioned that tormented Sara and briefly scared Lilly in 'Lost in Time' or 'Lost in Reality'. Why would he when the real medical equipment was far more efficient in rendering any tactics on her part as useless? She was struggling with the device, breathing hard as he approached her bed and he reached out, capturing her hand in his. He meant it simply as an offer of comfort but she reacted nearly as she had been burned as she jerked her hand free while moving away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. "Don't touch me!" She took a deep breath averting her eyes away from the Time Lord. "Just don't…." Laura couldn't help it as bile crept in her throat thinking of the man who had previously stolen so much from her that one terrible night. The smell of alcohol, her muddled thoughts and him dragging her into the cold bathroom that wintery night on February as he pushed her down on the floor. When he was done, she managed to lock herself inside as she lay in a puddle of…NO! She pressed her hands to her forehead to keep the torrent of memories back. Five years! She had managed for five years and learned to never make the same mistake twice but now…

"Alright, that's…" The Doctor shook his head observing her reactions closely. "It's fine, Laura. I'll just be right over here but I need you to listen. Could you do that for me?"

She turned, glancing at him warily as he held up his hands in a gesture such as one she would fathom to attempting to placate a wild animal. _Like Amber wrote when Nine dragged Sara back onto the TARDIS in 'Lost in Reality'. _

"Where's Honor?" Her thoughts immediately turned to the only true friend she had in this universe. Everyone else…no, she couldn't think it. They simply weren't here. That was all. But she knew Honor would be here unless the Doctor had done something already to her first.

"She's fine."

"Amber was right." She started to mutter to herself. "Lie to protect the little ones, sidestep to-" She was thinking about 'Reality'.

"Who is Amber?" He asked directly. He was concerned about all these references to people he had never met. Since both of them had mentioned this 'Sara', he was running a search to see whether any possible dimensional cracks had appeared in the vicinity. So far, he could find nothing else of consequence nor had any reports of people suddenly making an appearance to the authorities with that same name. Now, he would possibly have to look into a possible third person unless they were simply fictional narratives occurring within the girl's mind.

Laura just shook her head as she thought about Amber. _Your fan. You were her hero. _She shrugged. At least until Steven Moffat entered the scene but she briefly wondered what Amber would think if she was here. At least the concept of bonding was a fictional one and the Doctor couldn't form some strange paternal bond by accessing the core of her mind to…she shuddered. It was inventive at the time, their little world of telepathic bondings and different levels of access to the TARDIS depending on how you got the Doctor's name. She and Honor were going to come clean with the Doctor about what they had done but now…_Why should I show him any respect when he hasn't done the same to us? Chased us down, compelled me to sleep, imprisoned us and now…_

He was waiting for an answer and she raised her chin. "Someone I trusted." Her words were quiet but she hoped they had the effect she intended.

"I see." The Doctor replied. "A friend of yours?" He asked raising his eyebrows but she didn't respond. "Did she know about me like the two of you?" Perhaps understanding a bit how the two of them perceived and remembered time might also lead to a dialogue. He could tell he garnered a reaction as she looked at him quickly before returning to stare at her hands. "So she did. Now what does she think of me?" He shoved his hands into his pockets before offering a shrug. "It's a fair question. I'm curious. Bat habit. Or maybe not. Sooooo?"

She was short on patience and at this point didn't find his rambling quite so nostalgic given the position she was in. "You were her hero. Happy now?" She blurted out.

"A hero." He repeated, wincing briefly at the concept, however maintaining his demeanor. "But not yours."

"I don't…" Laura paused thinking about her major. The stories she had written and the various fandoms that intrigued her. Perhaps there was something they had in common. "I don't believe in heroes anymore."

"I can't blame you." The Doctor told her. "But for what it's worth, you're right. I'm not a hero." He said that with sincerity feeling the weight of everything he had done in all the centuries he had lived. "I'm a Time Lord. Now, the last of them. I've made so many mistakes, lost so many people and now with both you and Honor here, I can't let it happen again."

"But you don't understand." Laura protested. "It's just a phase. I'm fine. It will-"

"A phase?" He repeated incredulously. "Forty five pounds in three months is a phase?" The Doctor ran both his hands through his hair. "You have an eating disorder."

"No!" Laura exclaimed with disgust and the Doctor looked at her surprised by her adamant denial. "People in my major go through this kind of thing. Ever heard of a starving artist? In media communications, that's what we are! We are just passionate about our work and-"

"And what happens as you get passionate?" He challenged. "Perhaps the dry eyes, brittle hair and lethargy aren't enough. You can get by with those, eh Laura?"

She winced, looking away but he continued talking. "Ever hear of bradycardia, vasculpathy, reduced-"

"None of that's happened." Laura interrupted. She wasn't sure what those words meant but she refused to give in at this juncture.

"Your initial vitals after you awoke on board displayed a resting heart rate of fifty beats per minute." He pronounced.

"So?"

"That is bradycarida." He clarified. "A normal resting heart rate shouldn't be under sixty beats per minute for a human unless they are asleep." The Doctor could tell she wasn't impressed and he felt frustrated as she simply shrugged.

"I've had a low blood pressure too all my life. No one has gone and committed me for it." She refuted.

"You risk having a cerebrovascular accident." Her persisted and she looked at him blankly for a moment. "A stroke. You really want to end up trapped inside your own mind for the rest of your life? Even possibly die?"

"Then let us go." Laura said directly. "If you care so much, let Honor and I go." That was what this was for. Her hunger strike was to procure their freedom. It had nothing to do with an eating disorder and he wasn't going to talk her out of it.

He sighed, feeling pain weigh on both his hearts. Perhaps if he handled this differently, talked to them at length and convinced them why they needed to be onboard, he wouldn't be in this position. "I can't." He closed his eyes rubbing his forehead. "I would if I could but I just can't."

"No, you just won't." She had to stay focused and that meant not giving in. She found herself clenching her teeth as she eyed the contraption he hooked her into.

"Laura." The Doctor swallowed, thinking of Rose. "I've lost so many people over the years. You can't blame me for not wanting to lose one more, especially when there's no reason for it."

"I'm not trying to commit suicide," objected Laura.

"Aren't you?" The alien gave her a pointed look.

"No!" Laura shook her head. She took a deep breath. "I won't be forced or manipulated into anything," she explained, staring at the IV stuck in her arm. If she could only see Honor then maybe her friend could help her find a way out of this thing.

"Ah." The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Give me liberty or give me death," the Time Lord quoted the American phrase.

"Exactly." Laura finally lifted her eyes to meet his. "Nobody. And I mean nobody will ever force me..." Laura's eyes moved past the Doctor's shoulder as she stared off into space remembering once more for only a moment.

The Doctor suddenly stood up straight, catching the look in Laura's eyes. "Again," he said.

"What?"

"Nobody will ever force you again," he repeated and finished Laura's sentence. "Someone forced you to do something you didn't think was right," the Doctor voiced his theory. "So now, you'd rather die than submit to anyone."

Laura's mouth dropped open. There was no way she was going to tell him, this stranger, about her past. But in that moment, she couldn't think of what else to say.

The Doctor nodded to himself. Yes. He was quite sure his theory about Laura was right. He was equally sure that meant dealing with her could be so much more difficult. Depending on what she'd been forced to do, and how emotionally traumatized she'd been would determine how light he would have to tread. He needed to find some kind of compromise between them. And he needed to do it fast. Humans could become extremely stubborn phenomenally quickly. Looking at Honor's and Laura's reactions, damage in their relationship had already been done. But what kind of compromise? Could his notion really work? What would it entail? And more importantly, how could he make this be effective without putting the universe at risk?

Maybe if he just continued to explain it to them... Talking with Laura seemed to already have an effect. Perhaps if they knew the seriousness of the situation they would make the right choice. And if they didn't make the right choice... Well, there were still other options. For now, he ventured into his lab, drawing together the full details of his plan.

Martha had not been idle after her conversation with the Doctor. The first thing she did was go to the library and looked up more information about Visceral Temporal Precognition and psychokinesis. The Doctor explained the bare basics of it pretty well for a surface understanding of the girls' condition, but Martha wanted a more in-depth explanation and definition. She was naturally curious about it, as she was aspiring to be doctor herself one day and she wanted to do her duty in making sure she would be able to help care for either one of the women in their charge should the need ever arise.

She doubted such a situation would occur, however, given the intensity the Doctor was taking to the whole matter.

She suspected this had something to do with the artron energy. This was yet another thing she had looked up while in the library. The Doctor had mentioned two species, which were just some of the few creatures that could internally contain and use it as part of their innate, homogeneous physiology. The one thing he didn't say, was how similar the artron energy contained within the girls was to the Time Lord themselves as "Time Tots" in their introduction to the academy.

Apparently before their first regeneration, Time Lords had similar cardiovascular systems as humans, with only one heart. And given the test results that had been printed out and now clutched in her hands, Martha could find little difference between Time Lord blood and that contained by either Honor or Laura. The information on Time Tot hematology was nearly identical to the girl's information, and she highly suspected if she achieved more current results that the differences would be nearly imperceptible if not already gone.

She wondered if this meant that the girls themselves could regenerate given what little knowledge she had of that procedure. The majority of the information regarding the subject was in Gallifreyan, which didn't offer many answers and she doubted the Doctor would provide her any answers either if she asked. He always tended to side step or avoid personal or probing questions like that of the plague. She supposed it might be possible, although it was hard to tell since as far as she could discern, they didn't contain this Lindo hormone that was mentioned in the book as a prerequisite for regeneration to occur.

And concerning their ESP-like gift, it appeared to be a subconscious ability. The Doctor mentioned that even if he wiped their mind of all their memories, it would still be able to manifest itself. He seemed disgusted by the very idea and it seemed like a rather unnecessary measure since it wouldn't even resolve the problem of their precognition, so Martha knew that that would be unlikely to occur. The Doctor was being a bit inflexible concerning the two new additions to the TARDIS, however, which was the slightest bit worrying even though he relayed he had the best intentions at heart.

She understood the Doctor's actions concerning Laura as a trainee doctor and she knew quite well what would be normal protocol if Laura's habits had been suspected in public. She would have been brought to hospital and likely forced onto a feeding tube until she was considered stable if she continued in her refusal to eat…But a small voice inside of her piped up, they didn't have these same protocols in America and the girls were probably bewildered by the suddenness of his extreme measures. Martha couldn't remember if they actually had a truly proper sit down where everything was laid out on the table and each person spoke honestly to each other. It wasn't quite fair that neither girl was given warning of this pending solution the Doctor had in mind.

The Doctor wasn't known for tact, and it fell to Martha to step up and explain things properly for him on occasion. This wasn't the first times she had to do this and she suspected it wouldn't be the last. For the Doctor being so clever and brilliant as he so claimed, he could be pretty thick and dense at the very same measure, which she suspected was why he required someone to remind him of when he precisely had gone too far.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Back where we started again." Honor said looking at her friend on the medbay bed who cast the Doctor a glare. He was sitting at the lab table, his glasses perched on his nose as he concentrated on an object in his hands. She was only given freedom from the IV to use the restroom, located within the medbay but once inside that space, there was no where else to go. The TARDIS remained faithful to the very same Doctor who waited directly outside the door each time she finished and emerged.

She begged him the first time after finally exiting the bathroom looking at the IV next to the bed in all-apparent dread. "Don't do this…." Her voice trailed. "It's not right." She finally met his eyes. "You know this isn't right." At least she hoped a part of him did.

"Changed your mind about eating?" He looked back at her directly and she took a deep breath, releasing it steadily. _This is how he wants to break me. With this thing…he… _She clenched her fists together so hard, she could hear her knuckles crack as she raised her chin in utter resolve.

"Change your mind about letting us go?" Mimicking his tone and she took a step back as he started to approach her.

"Laura…"

"When you change your mind, I'll change mine." Her voice was filled with resolve and he sighed, starting to reach for her arm. Without even thinking, she bolted towards the sickbay door only to find it fastened shut. Completely locked.

"Sorry, Laura." He hadn't moved. "Have to insist you stay inside here for the time being."

She had been physically and mentally cornered on his home turf. There was nothing she could do as she silently leaned against the wall wanting nothing more then to close her eyes and wake up back at home.

All she succeeded in doing was waking up again with that dreaded contraption once more in her arm while he continued to work just across the room from her.

Martha had eventually come to visit and she wasn't alone since it was she who went to Honor's room after she had slept considering herself the lesser of two evils. Honor didn't object to her presence and seemed relieved when Martha was able to lead her out of the corridor she was in and inside the kitchen.

"Was going to make some…" Martha started but paused as Honor already gathered ingredients from the shelves.

"No offense. After druggin' my tea, I prefer to make my own stuff from now on." Honor glanced back at Martha. "Be happy to make you something though."

Internally, Martha scowled. Because of what the Doctor did, now his actions reflected on her. Oh, she was drawn to him for some odd reason or another but this entire situation was one she found intolerable. The Doctor needed to fix this somehow. She trusted him and with all she had seen him do, why couldn't he establish a bridge between these two girls and himself?

Honor caught the expression on Martha's face and bit her lip. "I'm sorry. It's nothing personal. Have to realize, after what happened, it's just a lot for us and well…" She grimaced. "The man just locked trapped me in the same series of hallways. Like a rat in a maze!"

Martha was startled as she looked at the red headed girl. This was going too far and she knew it. "I'm sorry. I really didn't know and-"

"I know." Honor said, closing her eyes. "I know you didn't. Doesn't make it easier. Laura's still stuck in the infirmary probably going insane and well, wasn't much better before. Imprisoned on the TARDIS until Lord knows when."

"Actually, the Doctor was going to take you two with us to a party we're going to attend. So it's not all that bad and-"

"Party?" Honor interrupted.

"Right. A big to do. My sister, Tish works for this genius, Dr. Lazarus. The Doctor is fixed on going and said that he won't leave you two behind."

Honor took a deep breath. She knew just what this party meant and she needed to talk to her friend right away. "Martha, Laura's all alone. You have to let me see her."

"I, well…don't know. The Doctor said.." Martha paused. The Doctor really didn't say anything. Just that it was important to keep Laura under observation and for Martha to check in on Honor after she woke until he was ready to speak with her again.

"Said nothing about me not visiting her." Honor established. "Friends have good influence on people. You don't think Laura could use the only friend she has right now?"

Martha nodded at once seeing Honor's point and knowing full well in the hospital how friends and loved ones often improved the health of those they visited. Regardless of whether the Doctor agreed or not, she would not deprive Honor from seeing the one person she knew she could trust.

The Doctor initially looked irritated at the sudden intrusion. "Martha, I needed-"

"Oh, I know Doctor." Martha interrupted. "But what about what they need?"

Honor had already made her way to Laura and embraced her friend gratefully on the bed before simply taking a hold of her hand.

His demeanor softened visibly as he rubbed his temples. "Sorry, been a long couple of long days."

"You haven't slept?" Martha asked quietly.

"Can go without sleep for almost a fortnight." He muttered as he scrutinized the device.

She frowned. "Well, you're relieved. Go." The Doctor started to object and Martha raised her hands. "No, just go. I can watch them both for the next few hours."

"All right." A few hours of sleep would likely ease his continual headache that had been pressing upon him. "Let the TARDIS know if there is any trouble." The Doctor's eyes narrowed upon the girls. "She'll know how to get a hold of me."

He finally left and Martha took his seat frowning at the various scraps of metal he was working with. Much of it was in disarray and it appeared to make little sense but indeed that matched the Doctor she had come to know. She shook her head and pulled out a book to read only pausing to take casual glances at the girls she was instructed to supervise.

"I should of known." Laura muttered to Honor after the Doctor left.

"He had no right to do this to you. Not without a hint of warning." Honor said.

"Right, because the Doctor always plays fair." Laura remembered how swiftly he turned against Harriet Jones and used his telepathy like a weapon against her associate whose free will he didn't bother to take into account. She looked at her friend worriedly. "What did he do to you? He wouldn't answer and…"

"Just trapped me in the same hallway for an hour." Honor then smiled briefly. "When he found me, he challenged me to a battle of wills but he lost."

"Seriously?" Laura asked. "You actually beat the Doctor?'

"Hasn't been a time when I haven't won the silent game." Honor shrugged. "Honestly, I just got bored and eventually fell asleep."

For the first time, Laura started to laugh. "I wish I could have seen his face." She marveled.

"Me too." Honor admitted. "But I just ended up back in my room."

Laura's face became grim as she played with a strand of brown hair. "Trapped again."

"I s'pose but Martha was talkin' about the Doctor taking us to this party. Dr. Lazarus. Ring any bells?"

Laura went paler then usual. "The experiment. Her sister, Tish. It will be a madhouse." She started to shudder. "Honor, we just write this stuff, we're not supposed to live it."

"I know." Honor's face expressed the same fear. "But we knew this was coming…we…"

"Have to get out of here." Laura said quietly. "The device, can you see any way of detaching it from the top."

Honor examined it surreptitiously. "It's completely welded into that plastic type contraption. If Martha sees me…" They both knew she would call the Doctor and Honor would likely be forbidden to see her.

Laura closed her eyes feeling pained as Honor spoke to her. "Know you don't like it but no point to this hunger strike if he can do this to you, is there? I get what you're tryin' to do for us but…"

"There is a point." Laura was adamant. "He has to watch it and I know he doesn't like it. You won your game." She told Honor. "I need to win mine. I can't let someone beat me this way and as long as this entire thing gets to him, there's a chance."

Honor sighed, shivering at the mere appearance of the IV but if Laura was going to stand her ground….

"Did you want me to bring you anything?" She tried.

"My backpack." Laura decided. "It should be in the supply room." She had some work to do and they had an episode to review if this truly was going to come to pass.

She grimaced, watching Honor leave. What if they left her in the sickbay indefinitely regardless of what she did. Laura looked around the room with a shudder. Even without the supposed 'stasis' field, she had become just as trapped as her own character when she struggled beneath it for two straight days, clinging to the edges of her lucidity. Laura knew that given time with these same four walls, much as how Honor's character Penny described her experience inside the room within her institution, Laura was fearful of following the same path and promptly going insane.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What is this?" Laura asked, looking down at the four inch wide gold bracelet he secured to her forearm. Three days had passed since he forced her to remain within the confines of the sickbay, the Doctor appeared, disconnecting the IV and took to fastening the piece of jewelry just above her elbow.

"A compromise," responded the Doctor.

"Compromise?" questioned Laura.

"Yep." The Doctor popped his "P." "It's a monitor of sorts. If you wear this, I won't make you stay in the infirmary anymore. No more IV's. And no more pestering you to eat."

"Really?" Laura looked at the Doctor suspiciously. There had to be a catch.

"Really," responded the Doctor. "Unless your starvation becomes immediately life threatening. Then I'll have to insist. And this little device will let us know."

Laura looked down at the decorative armband. If the Doctor didn't care whether or not she ate, what was the point in going on a hunger strike? It's not like she really wanted to harm herself. She just wanted control over her own life but she had seen things like these bracelets before. She even wrote one as a leash to trap Sara, which was used by the Time Lord Victorious and then the Master. She also had worn similar pieces of jewelry to relieve headaches or nausea in the past and knew that Time Lord technology could potentially alter it to be more complex then appearance.

"I suppose you could stay stuck in the infirmary attached to all this." The Doctor waved his hand toward the IV. "If that's what you really want. Buuuut. I thought you would appreciate having the choice." The Doctor smiled a wide disarming grin and rocked back on his heals.

Laura looked at the alien, trying to figure out his new plan. What else was the bracelet? She realized how smart the old Time Lord was. He was effectively removing any way a hunger strike might be effective, while simultaneously manipulating her situation to be whatever SHE chose. If she chose to be tied down in the infirmary, or chose to wear the armband, it was her choice. Ohh! This man was frustrating and she had no idea the complexities behind the piece of jewelry. She started to think hard and inwardly felt the spark of a new plan coming to surface. He offered her a choice, didn't he?

"So, what'll it be?"

What the Doctor wasn't telling Laura was that the bracelet was so much more than a monitor. Not only would it monitor the human's health, but whenever her system showed signs of needing nutrition, it would release chemicals into her body, steadily increasing her hunger until she was almost ravenous. If she continued not to eat, the hunger would subside. But three hours later, it would return with a vengeance, mimicking what a normal healthy human body should do. On the flip side, if she ate anything when her hunger struck, the discomfort would immediately subside. With any luck the human would simply correct her own eating disorder. She would never know it wasn't her own body's reactions at first. And eventually her natural body's reactions would take over like they should. She would be fine. She would live. And in the end, it would be her choice.

Laura took a deep breath knowing she needed to see Honor right away. Didn't Honor mention that the Doctor and Martha intended to bring them to a party to witness an experiment being conducted by Dr. Lazarus. That was their chance, possibly their only chance in the chaos to get away, to find Jack Harkness or Sarah Jane and seek help from either of them. In the interim, she could play along. The Doctor seemed to enjoy playing games and her years spent in creative arts wasn't for nothing. _Won't be fooled by another trick. _Her mind wandered to the spiked cocktail she consumed at the hands of the man that was supposed to be her friend until he had betrayed her so completely. _And that's all this is. _She thought looking at the band. A drink spiked with unknown contents but now she was wiser and certainly less naïve.

She allowed herself to release a pained sigh as she grimaced at the band. "I'll wear it." She decided and with her decision he smiled.

"Then you're free to go." The Doctor said, beckoning towards the door. "Why don't we find you a room?"

_Free. Doesn't even understand what that means. _Laura thought. He was watching her leave, grinning inwardly at his clever ruse. For now, while she only thought it a monitor and had more space, her eating habits would come to an eventual change likely without her being able to discern the difference.

An hour later settled into the forest green décor, surrounded by antique wooden furniture, she determined how to unclasp the bracelet and toss it on the dresser as she stared at the multicolored rosary she found on the dresser, which she supposed was a good representation of the very gift that her sponsor gave her for her first communion in the Catholic Church. She grasped onto it tightly as tears came to her eyes remembering the words her mentor said in jest to her. "Live free or die." She muttered and smiled briefly. She always loved that saying as it was a reminder to herself to stay true to who she was. Now it was an even more prominent reminder then simply a state slogan. Laura didn't believe in suicide and found it reprehensible but she knew a loss of freedom would come at a cost. Herself. Her friend What made Honor and Laura who they were. That spark might fizzle out and once again, Laura would break. She might be forced to watch her only friend here to endure the same. No. One chance. One warning. Like in their stories. She would wear this bracelet only in his line of site and as soon as he wasn't, she would remove it. It would be rather like a game just until the party.

Honor and Laura had initially dreaded their first inroads into an actual episode but now…well, now, how could Laura resist a good party?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Honor Rae grinned cheerily as she got out of the shower. Usually, she would have a bubble bath, but considering she felt that she was short on time, she took a shower instead. It had been years since she had a proper bubble bath, and so she normally insisted on having one ever since she first got this room with its adjoining bathroom when she wanted to wash up. It probably didn't help that there was a Jacuzzi setting available. Still, even with this change in routine, her mood wasn't dampened.

"_Goin' to wash that shampoo right out of my hair_," she warbled as she blow dried her hair, watching the short red locks naturally curl and fluff up, defying gravity. Running a brush through it only tamed it a little and she stuck her tongue out at her reflection, blowing a raspberry. "So stubborn," she chided. "Bushy if you're long, incorrigible if you're short. I just can't win. At least you have the decency to dry quickly at this length…Now for the _dress_…" Honor Rae giggled to herself as she picked up the girlishly purple garment.

Holding it up to her chest, she twirled giddily. "I love 'em! So pretty…" she cooed to herself before fondly putting it to the side. She struggled into her undergarments and stuffed on a black pair of shorts, accurately assuming running and climbing would likely be involved with the day's activities. She really, _really_ didn't want to flash anyone.

Finally, she slipped on her gown and righted it before twirling around again. Facing the mirror, she put on her glasses and grinned once more. "And done!" She admired her dress in the mirror. It was a floor-length, lavender dress with an empire waist and bateau neckline as well as falbala sleeves. This chiffon dress was completely lovely in her humble opinion. Even the small slit on the front of the skirt could mostly be ignored as there was another lighter colored skirt under it. Also, it was swishy. That was always a plus in Honor Rae's book.

Brash and awkward though she be, she was always a girly-girl on the inside, even if her actions and words would sometimes say differently.

She was as much of a delicate flower as the next of them but the difference was she could just take care of herself and others when she had to.

"Oh, _yes_, you pretty kitty, you. Killin' guys since 1995, total sex bomb…not." She laughed, before squealing. "A _dress_, an excuse to _wear_ said dress, oh yeah! Best day ever!" She exited the bathroom feeling ecstatic. Skipping around her bedroom on her tip-toes, Honor Rae flounced over to her ballet flats and picked them up, singing to herself, "_I'm so lucky, lucky! I'm so lovely, lovely!_ Heh, heh, oh yes."

Stuffing on her shoes as she exited the room, she couldn't help but beam in excitement. "A party I can go to, and it's not someone's birthday or graduation party! I can dress fancy-shmancy!" She ran to Laura's room and knocked 'shave and a haircut' on the door. "Hey, hey, ready? C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, let's go! Avanti! Vamanos! Hiaku! Freakin' _allons-y_, man, let's jet! I want to go get your dress and go party!"

Laura exited her own room after a moment, looking somewhat amused at her friend's eager enthusiasm. "Somebody's excited. I hope you remember from the show that this is a formal event and it's not going to be like a traditional party? Also this 'allons-y' business…" She started, grimacing at the word not wanting to be mean, but she didn't want Honor's hopes and expectations crushed. "It doesn't mean-"

"Yeah, I remember, but it's a party!" Honor cut her off before Laura was able to explain her irritation with the Doctor's particular expression. "An actual party with fancy dress and everything! I can wear a dress and not have to explain myself 'cause I felt the urge to be girly. Let's go before they leave without us or somethin'!" Practically vibrating with excitement, Honor Rae grabbed Laura's hand and insistently tugged her down the hall to the wardrobe.

"Oh right. That'll happen." Laura muttered. "The Doctor has the impression we can somehow undeadlock the doors." True, if they had a couple hours to themselves, the two of them might be able to determine it but if the TARDIS was working against them, what were the chances of them even finding the console room, let alone the proper controls? Still….

As soon as they entered the wardrobe, they went looking for a dress for Laura, as Honor had gotten ready some time ago, for the party that was to take place that night. Despite their trepidation (as well as Honor Rae's mixed feelings of excitement), their plan had fallen into place. The Doctor was unaware at present that they were able to manifest small objects into being and with that they were able to conjure cash between the two in order to navigate through London.

"It's lucky the Doctor hasn't read any of our stories on your computer," Honor Rae mentioned sometime later, after having calmed down slightly, shuddering briefly at the thought, nervously wringing her hands before absent-mindedly swaying side to side, making her light purple dress swish around her feet. "They're not obvious right, are they? You-"

"Your stories are saved in different areas on my hard drive under test chapters. Mine are just under random innocuous names. Besides, I don't think he's interested in hacking my laptop." Laura frowned. That was her one regret. When they ran, she would have to leave her laptop behind. She was able to move all the episodes and her entire documents files to her external hard drive but her laptop would be too difficult to carry. After she moved everything she possibly could, she deleted all the remaining files on the computer and stuffed it under an aisle on the second floor of the library.

Honor glanced at her friend who was swiftly putting on a simple flowing knee length black cocktail dress with flat shoes that were decent for making a swift exit. The bracelet was back around her forearm. "Figured out what that thing does?" She asked, looking at it distrustfully.

Laura shook her head, glaring at the object. She put it on to go to the wardrobe room knowing the space was far too open with several doors for which the Doctor could venture in and out. It would serve neither of them if she was caught without it before their plan came to fruition. "I wish but I've seen stuff like this before. Chemicals can be introduced through the skin…" She trailed of thinking hard. "Still, it's a tracker, a monitor. Just wait until…" She smiled knowingly at Honor who grinned. That part of the plan seemed relatively funny and she almost wished she could be a fly on the wall to see the Doctor's face when the swap occurred.

"Well, from a jewelry standpoint, it does stand out. I think you'll receive your fair share of complements." Honor surmised was a girlish grin and a small pirouette. Before affecting a posh and painfully fake British accent, "'I say, what a lovely trinket you have there, simply smashing.'" She snorted with laughter.

"Oh, I agree. I do have exceptionally good tastes if I do say so myself." The Doctor's voice ventured up to them and Honor briefly frowned while Laura didn't say a word but took a coat off its respective hanger.

Half-joking, half-serious, Honor Rae calmed down, "Are we there yet? Didn't even feel the TARDIS shift." She beckoned to her friend, not paying attention to the Doctor's response, before bouncing towards the stairs, not even her irritation with the Doctor could ruin her good mood, besides, they might not have to deal with him much longer. With all hope.

Laura sighed, hitching her purse on her shoulder before walking over to where the red head was impatiently waiting and they both walked downstairs as the Doctor gave them one of his disarming smiles. "How nice you both look." He said, in his terms of a complement.

Honor Rae gave a loopy grin, preening her hair slightly as she accepted the praise and volleying back one in return. "Love your bow tie, bow ties are freakin' cool, dude." She turned to Laura, having purposely told him that to get a laugh from the obvious inside joke. All she received was a feeble smile and decided that the jest may not have been the best way to go.

_Did…Did she just call me "dude?" Never been called that before…_ He blinked at this, taken aback by the sheer amount of bubbly exuberance that Honor was displaying currently. It was rather…refreshing in its own way, if rather unexpected.

Martha was frowning at Laura's accessory. "Laura, that purse doesn't really go with your dress. We can-"

"I'm not leaving it." Laura was adamant. "So it goes or you can leave the two of us here on our own." She knew the Doctor wouldn't risk it considering he felt it vital to keep them under his close proximity and so her threat had the impact she already determined it would. Both Laura and Honor counted on this.

He merely looked a bit exasperated. "You really think you'll need your iPad while you're at a party?"

"Oh, you haven't been to one of my family parties. I need all the help I can get." Laura emphasized, which was true. Holidays with relatives brought tedium to new levels and the Doctor sighed.

"But what about Honor? She'll-"

"I'll be fine! I can keep myself entertained, love parties and love people," Honor Rae interrupted impatiently.

"Plus I have my iPod touch for her. I said I would let her listen to my favorite band, Within Temptation and she really wants to hear their latest album. Can't get it here. Not in this dimension." She briefly wondered if her favorite band even existed in this reality.

"Yep, I don't have Hydra." Honor agreed. "I loved Unforgiven and the both of us also like musicals so-"

"Fine, enough. I get it. Just don't be afraid to mingle on occasion." He said as the girls merely turned and walked out the door. He glanced down at his sonic and frowned at Laura's readings. She wasn't in danger yet but her electrolyte readings were low once again. Somehow she was resisting or otherwise ignoring the effects the bracelet was causing on her leptin and ghrelin hormonal levels, which should of increased her appetite substantially. Perhaps the fluctuations were not attuned correctly since she was a human that originated from an alternate dimension and the physics were skewed. Once they returned, he would take a thorough look at both Honor and Laura's physiological scans and while she was asleep that night, he would make minute adjustments.

He wasn't sure about what headway he was making with Honor. He tried to speak with the girl on several occasions after she tearfully accused him of being worse then her stepfather, which he knew was a substantial insult in her mind. Again he was at a disadvantage in not knowing how this man betrayed her or potentially manipulated her causing him to consider what steps he needed to take with her. Neither girl in particular trusted him and now they were forced to stay with him rather indefinitely. Why couldn't they be more like…he frowned briefly at the thought of Rose attempting to push memories of her aside.

At the same time, both girls were thinking of their respective families. Honor remembered her friend back at home incidentally also named Laura whom was so close, she considered like a sister. At that moment, she missed her, her mother and her grandparents with the fiercest longing. She even longed for the rudimentary parts of her daily routine like making the fifteen-minute drive to the community college campus to class, which was far better then the gruesome one hour commute that it took to get to her high school. Her part time job and even the tediousness of doing her homework each night would be a welcome respite. She bit her lip trying to control her emotions as she glanced over at her friend.

Laura was briefly reflecting on her niece, Anna now only three years old and living in Spain for six months. She had skyped with her every week and she pressed her lips together as tears threatened to emerge. Would Alba even miss her or know that she was gone? There was Sara and Chris. Would they look for her? Would Chris with all of his conspiracy theories and extreme scientific notions even consider an alternate dimension? Her parents. She and her mother often fought and not for the same reasons she described as with Sara. It wasn't because she and her mother were so alike but because they were completely different. Half the time, Laura knew she was in the wrong but would her mother even know she was sorry? They argued right before she left to go to school and she didn't even get to say….Laura swallowed the lump in her throat, taking a deep breath. She always assumed in the evening, they would settle down and talk as they always did. _Too late. _She thought. _Just too late._

The Doctor and Martha were exiting the TARDIS. It was time for them to go. Tonight would be a production on many levels and Laura and Honor could only hope their plan would work.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You two will stay in this room, understood?" The Doctor's voice was stern in addressing them as Laura and Honor merely looked petulant. Honor's eye caught sight of the variety of food tables offering tantalizing samples, some of which she couldn't identify but the smells wafting from them were deliciously tempting. She was bored of this farce and simply wanted to enjoy the party. Laura was merely playing with the bracelet around her arm with a look of disgust on her face.

"I can't hear you two." He prompted again. Finally Laura glanced up at him, releasing a sigh.

"We won't leave until it's over." She told him and the Doctor grinned at the two. Indeed that was true. Their escape wasn't planned until the experiment became sheer evident chaos and the party would indeed be at an end.

"Excellent, well off to enjoy ourselves, shouldn't we? Allons-" He was about to deliver his famous catch phrase.

"No!" Laura suddenly interrupted with a look of absolute horror on her face and the Doctor turned on her in surprise, immediately pulling out his sonic, fearing some catastrophe or illness he hadn't previously diagnosed.

"What?! What's wrong?" He moved towards her and started to scan her as she held up her hands, knocking his sonic out of the way.

"The only thing that's wrong is that is not even a proper word!" She challenged. "You really think that is French for 'lets go'? Well, I had four years of French and any of my teachers who were born there would be appalled! It's 'allez' or try 'on y va' or just 'allons'. I mean, come on! You would think the TARDIS would-"

"Laura," Honor interrupted, taking her arm. "Look, there's a free wine tasting. Right over there." She was attempting to distract her friend as she leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "It's not worth it tonight."

The Doctor and Martha had been struck speechless as Laura finally shrugged. "Fine." She glanced at the Doctor with disdain. "Just go on saying it that way. I'm sure Christina would be really impressed."

Honor and Laura started to walk to the table Honor indicated while the Doctor looked at his two charges blankly and back to his sonic that was tracking Laura. "Who is Christina?" He muttered to himself. He took in a deep breath, trying to refocus as he looked upon the man of the hour, knowing he had one or two questions he would like to ask.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Feel better?" Honor Rae asked as she watched Laura sip some wine from a glass.

"I suppose," she grumbled. "He annoys me."

"Well, you just needed to let steam off after…the past few days. That was kind of funny, actually, fireworks and everythin'," the red head said as her eyes located where the Doctor was, currently with the Jones family. "But that 'allons-y' business…I don't think he's tryin' to be fancy and speak French to impress the ladies, I think he's quoting it from a movie."

"What do mean?" Laura frowned at the Minnesotan.

"Well, I asked my teacher, Madame Sauermann-page, in my measly half-semester of French and she thought about it for a moment. Then she said that the word originated from some movie in the 60s. The character Fernando or whatever was talking to another dude and said, 'allons-y something-something' which had been translated to 'let's go, daddy-o.' And, well, you know how he is about movies." The girls smirked briefly to each other remembering the whole Lion King fiasco with the Sycorax.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. I mean, the only place I've ever heard it was on the show and it always bothered me," Laura admitted. "I've actually been to Paris and never once did I hear it there."

"Well, he's like the Hulu-guru, knows random quotes from pop-culture and confuses the heck out of everyone else," Honor Rae joked to lighten the mood, and Laura snickered, remembering the Hulu commercials from her subscription.

The brunette made to say something else, when someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned to the woman standing next her. "I must say," she said. "What a fetching bracelet. Haven't seen anything quite like it. Might I ask where you got it?"

Laura grimaced. "From an annoying twit."

"Well, that's a shame. It looks so charming. The person who bought it has tremendously good taste. I can't quite take my eyes off of it." The woman said in admiration.

Laura looked at her in consideration before offering the woman her elbow with a smile. "Do you want it? With your complexion, I think it would complement you far more then it would me."

"Oh, you're certain? How very sweet of you. I have always had the fondest opinions of Americans and now you have certainly established them." She smiled. "Might I offer you something in return?" They were both sampling the wine but the woman glanced over at the cocktail bar at the front of the room. "Perhaps a drink for you and your friend…?"

"Oh no, but thank you. Keep it, if I ever see it again, it'll be too soon," Laura told her dryly, unclasping it from just above her elbow and snapping it onto the woman's arm respectively whose eyes gleamed as she swallowed more wine. Laura could tell from her wavering posture how intoxicated this stranger was becoming and she would likely forget in an hour where she might have collected this eclectic piece of jewelry. It would serve the Doctor right after all that he had done and Laura could hardly suppress her absolute glee at the opportunity that had presented itself.

"Well, I simply must show my friends. If either of you change your minds about that drink…."

Laura simply waved her off and grinned at Honor in amusement. That was almost too much fun.

"Staples." Honor blinked. "That's was easy."

"Just lucky, really," Laura corrected. A sober person would be more suspect but someone intoxicated, as a consequence their inhibitions were lowered. Now she was thankful that Honor hand pointed out that very wine table since where otherwise would she have found such an opportunity? She let out a sigh of relief, glancing around, taking sight of the Doctor near one of the food tables or 'nibbles' as he seemed apt to call them.

"Your coat." Honor warned. "Put it on. He sees you without it…."

Immediately Laura obeyed and wrapped her arms around herself given the impression that she had just taken to a sudden chill.

Honor Rae grinned, "Perfect! Now we just have to wait out the party until everyone gets evacuated…"

"Right," the brunette agreed. "Giant monster."

The red head pulled a face. "Yuck, we hope we don't run into 'im, creepy as all get out. I'm liable to run screamin' in the opposite direction, just a general head's up. I ain't a hero."

"Me neither," Laura agreed. "Probably be the first one out the door."

"With me on your coat tails!" She laughed a bit before sobering. "Not much companion material, are we? Don't even want to be here."

"We can't leave quick enough."

"Right…You know, he's never goin' to quit, lookin' for us, I mean. If he gets close enough to sonic us, find our energy readings, we're done for."

"I know but we have to try…I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try."

"No… I don't think I'd be able to, either. Life-long regret that'd be…" She paused thoughtfully. "I'm also kind of kickin' myself for lettin' Kenzo read our stuff, even though he wanted to, the Doctor's his hero… He got rather ticked-off, tellin' me that he'd at least give 'em a chance if they'd give him one. I was inclined to agree with 'im, to_ want_ Kenzo to be right, 'cause the Doctor was still my hero then too. But now…I don't know, I don't like bein' right. The anti-hero we made scares me and I don't think I could bear it if the Doctor takes a path like that, 'cause nobody'd be there to stop 'im."

"Kenzo's your little brother, isn't he?" Laura asked quietly.

"Yeah, one of 'em, three brothers and three sisters, five of them are half siblings and my friend that I adopted as a sister, Kiley." Honor Rae laughed. "If she was here, she'd be kickin' butt and takin' names, Time Lord's be damned… I think the two of you'd get along famously if you ever met, actually."

"I look forward to meeting her," Laura asserted. She was still not ready, or willing for that matter, to give up hope.

"Er, yeah, _when_ the two of you meet, I should say," Honor Rae corrected, eyes suspiciously moist, just before turning away. "Oh, look, they got nibbles. I love nibbles. Let's go." Before Laura could even think to say anything in exchange, Honor was gone and halfway to the food table. She pressed her lips together, understanding exactly what her friend was feeling, the homesickness and the underlying fear that they might be stuck here for the rest of their lives. It was hard to be strong, but she'd do it, since there simply wasn't another option.

Laura's eyes scoped out the room noticing Lazarus was making his way to the machine that was to succeed in causing him to appear youthful again. It was only a matter of time before he got inside and started the mutation process… She looked over at the food table and felt a jolt of fear go through her veins as she breathed in sharply.

It was the Master. She recognized him instantly and he was making his way towards her unsuspecting friend who was perusing the many desserts.

Unthinkingly, she made her way directly to her friend. "Honor!" Her voice was a bit sharper than she intended it to be and it took effort to school her features into something other than blind panic.

"…Yeah?" Honor's voice was uncertain but she made her made her way over to Laura.

"We should-"

"-try the appetizers. The chefs have done an outstanding job, so I hear," a voice purred behind Laura and with a gasp, she whirled to see that the Master had circled around, effectively cutting off any escape route.

"Master," Honor Rae choked out in surprised shock, causing the Time Lord to immediately turn to look at her hard.

"Chefs!" Laura covered quickly, shooting a warning glance at the red head. "Probably brought in some cuisine for this event. Really top notch." _Maybe all that time watching the Food Network will help here. Please let him buy it. Please…_

"E-Exactly," the Minnesotan agreed hurriedly. "Never tasted anything like this." She took a bite of one of the sweets she held in demonstration. Absent-mindedly, she noted that it _was _quite delicious and would likely ask for the recipe if only her distress of their predicament didn't take priority at the moment.

The Master smiled indulgently, cold eyes assessing the two of them as he inhaled deeply, his nose flaring slightly. "Yes…just like how you are about to witness an event that neither of you have ever seen before." His voice carried a challenge, taunting the girls to slip up once again.

"Never been taught this in school and it's not the career field I plan on going into, _Mr. Saxon_," Laura side stepped the bait gingerly. He seemed to be holding back his laughter, eyes openly mocking the two of them. As if he was only biding his time, as if he had already had the girls within his grasp…

The two of them shuddered inwardly, but their reaction seemed to reveal the response the Master intended, their fear and unease in his presence. He leaned closer to them and lowered his voice, "Let's say we stop playing games and get straight to business, hmm?"

The young women froze and Honor had some difficulty in swallowing the sugary treat that now appeared wedged in her throat. "What _are_ you two? And, please, don't try to lie to me. I can tell." His eyes bore theirs as he took a threatening step closer.

Salvation came in the form of Lazarus's machine going haywire and the panic that began to ensue. Cold and hard brown eyes flickered over to the commotion and the Master tsked,

"Never trust an _ape_ to do a Time Lord's job." The three of them watched as the Doctor righted the situation and Lazarus exited the machine a new man…and soon to be an entirely new creature.

The Master sighed, turning back to them, "I suppose your guardian will come looking for the two of you soon." His piercing and terrifying gaze alighted on them once more. "But we're not finished, ladies. Oh no. We will resume our chat soon enough without distractions when the Doctor is…otherwise occupied. I believe it goes without saying that you will remain silent about our visit? I do rather hate sharing." His threat made clear, the man disappeared into the crowd leaving the two girls quite shaken by the experience.

So tense and high-strung from their close encounter with danger, they jumped when the Doctor approached them from behind, "Alright, you two, we…" He paused, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Martha asked, "What's the matter? You both look as if you had seen a ghost."

"More like monster," Honor halfway admitted. "Nobody's safe."

The Doctor stiffened and his lips pursed. "Thought as much. Lazarus's body wouldn't be able to take the strain of this dramatic of cellular manipulation, his own body will revolt against him, unaccounted for changes…"

"I managed to get a DNA sample, the Doctor and I are going to go look to see to what extent that it's affected him."

The Doctor studied the girls' pale visages. "You can come back to the TARDIS with us if you like. Stay there instead." he offered gently. "You would be safe there while Martha and I try to prevent the problem before it starts."

"And if you can't," Honor Rae quietly challenged. "Who'll warn everyone? Get people out of the way?" Laura knew as well as Honor did that Martha would be perfectly able in getting the crowds outside. She also knew that if they went back to the TARDIS that they would be trapped inside it but if they stayed, they might be able to get an evacuation underway faster and still have their chance to escape in the resulting chaos.

His quick eyes scanned the room before he pointed at the far end of it, closest to the doors.

"Pull that fire alarm and have everyone clear the building. Martha will be close behind."

"And what about you, Doctor?" Laura asked tensely, already knowing the answer but needing confirmation.

"Doing something clever, I suspect," the Time Lord answered, displaying a confidence that couldn't possibly be completely genuine. "Remember," he told them. "Fire alarm and then wait for Martha." The two of them left hurriedly for the TARDIS, and the girls paused until they were a fair distance away before speaking in hushed tones.

"We're dead," Honor stated flatly.

Laura glanced at her, asking sarcastically, "What on Earth gave you _that_ idea?"

"Insane Time Lords…_both_ of them."

Laura sighed, "Look, obviously we won't be bothered by the Master tonight, as long as he thinks we're with the Doctor-"

"-who we have to get away from ASAP…Dagnabbit, nothing's ever easy." She rubbed her forehead. "Alright, I think we should wait 'til the Doctor comes with Martha. After they get back inside we'll wait a few minutes before pullin' the alarm. It was the intruder alert that got everyone stuck in the room in the first place…Maybe we can avoid it?"

"That would be our best bet, get everyone outside and disappear in the chaos."

"As good of a plan as any." The two of them weaved through the crowd to stand by the fire alarm closest to the exit. This proved to be a good call, as they didn't appear to look much out of place from other party goers. Other women bored with the event but unable to leave without their dates had chosen to spend their time in that same location, the perfect camouflage.

The hour passed quickly as the girls exchanged pleasantries and idle conversation with those around them. They kept an eye on the clock after the Doctor and Martha returned. They gave the Time Lord and his companion five minutes before Honor Rae discreetly pulled the fire alarm and when the siren blasted throughout the premises, chaos did indeed erupt.

People started to panic around them. "Is there a fire?" One asked.

Laura pretended to look around in fear. "I saw smoke and something coming right towards us. We're all in danger!"

Honor immediately nodded in agreement. "I think I see flames right next door!" She said, pointing out the window.

"Wait!" The Doctor tried to intercede. "Anyone see Dr. Lazarus? Have to keep looking."

"Are you mad, man?" One gentleman in a suit protested. "The building is on fire! We all need to evacuate. Everyone we-!"

Shrieks were heard everywhere as people began to stampede towards the door with Laura and Honor right in the direct center of the crowd.

"Honor! Laura!" The Doctor called out. The two girls could hear his voice behind them but it was clear he couldn't see them and Laura breathed a sigh of relief as they jogged down the stairs.

"All these floors…" Honor muttered. "What about the elevator?"

"Can't." Laura said. "Not when the fire alarm is pulled." They managed to finally make it onto the street as they both took in deep breaths of fresh air. It was their first tangible taste of freedom.

"We still need help." Honor reminded her and she nodded in agreement.

"Planes and trains out of London are out of the question." Laura said as they walked swiftly down the street.

"Out of London?" Honor queried.

"If we're going to get to Wales-" Laura started.

"No, I think seeing Jack Harkness before 'Utopia' is a bad idea. Can't risk a paradox. Especially with the Master around." Honor paused. "Sarah Jane would probably help us and she lives right nearby."

Laura looked at her friend with a strained expression on her face. "But she can't make a biodampner or biofilter-"

"We don't know if biofilters even exist. If I remember, you said Amber made that up. Just a spin off of the perception filter." Honor faced her grimly. "And you know a perception filter is not going to hide artron energy like ours. It wouldn't make a difference."

Laura knew Honor was right and ruling out Sarah Jane might be a tactical error since she was in relative close proximity and might afford them a place to lay low at least until Torchwood became accessible. She knew only a little about this Doctor's previous companion but his affection for her was made relatively clear as well as his admiration for her ingenuity.

She had the artificial intelligence at her home known as Mr. Smith and then there was something significant about her son, Luke that might work to their advantage if the girls could convince Sarah Jane to assist them.

"Sounds like a plan." She agreed as she made direct headway to one of the novel red telephone booths that peppered the London streets and yanked open the phone book.

"Guess your phone doesn't work." Honor observed.

"Not without a new sim card." Laura said. "My brother showed me how to swap them on my birthday. Never thought I would need to this early but…" Her voice trailed. "Here it is." Laura said examining the page. "Sarah Jane Smith. 35 Bannerman Road W2." She muttered glancing at the map of the underground conveniently posted in the same booth. "Leyton station. The red line."

"What? You mean, we'll take a bus or-?"

"Not if you want to sit and wait for an hour and let the Doctor catch us. No. We are taking the tube." Laura took hold of Honor's hand whose features displayed anxiety. "Trust me. I did this before with Beth. Got us everywhere in London and Paris, jumping from one train to the next. I can get us there."

"It's just that the Doctor can get his TARDIS on trains so-"

"Not the tube. Way to narrow and the seats, well, it's just too crowded. Plus we'll never be on one train long enough."

Honor bit her lip and nodded. Laura had been to London before and had experience where she did not. This was the best shot they had to make their escape so they could find a way to get home.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They had returned from the Southwark Cathedral to the scene of the party for the Doctor to collect the girls since the signal from Laura's bracelet still registered that she was just outside the building. Martha was silent as they made their journey back and the Doctor glanced over at her.

"It was still good fun, wasn't it?" He tried.

"Yeah." Martha said noncommittally. "Not sure how Honor and Laura feel though."

"Ah, well, they'll come around. I know it." He grinned at her. "One more trip."

"No, sorry." Martha said and she meant it. She wasn't sure what she was to the Doctor except a spur of the moment convenience and with the two extra passengers, she was feeling more uncertain then ever.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor looked shocked. "I thought you liked it."

"I do, but I can't go on like this." She told him firmly. "One more trip. It's not fair. Especially now."

"What're you talking about?"

"I don't want to be just a passenger you take along as a treat. And now that you have Honor and Laura…well…" She paused. "If that's all you see me as, I would rather just stay here."

He examined her with all seriousness and then nodded. "Okay, then. If that's what you want."

"Right. I guess this is goodbye. So thank you for everything. Probably best that you just go." She told him and started to turn to walk the opposite direction when he stood directly in front of her, blocking her path. "What is it?" Martha looked at him in confusion.

"What? I said okay." The Doctor said pointedly.

"Sorry?" Martha asked perplexed and the Doctor simply nodded back in the direction of his TARDIS. Clarification filled her expression and suddenly she felt an effusion of joy. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" She put her arms around him and he smiled at the enthusiastic embrace. At least, she wanted to stay with him unlike his two wayward…He frowned in consideration of Honor and Laura, breaking off the hug with his now stationary companion.

"Let's say we locate our missing passengers, eh?" He asked and Martha nodded, giving a small sigh of relief as the Doctor glanced at his sonic.

"Strange." Her muttered. "Readings have changed. Maybe she finally had something to eat but still…" He made his way to the crowd in front of the building being kept at bay by various authorities as he flashed his psychic paper and took another look at his screwdriver only to come face to face with a tall, willowy blond wearing the very arm band he had given Laura, clutching onto the side of the building as he approached. A grim expression suddenly stole over his face when he realized that the two girls were nowhere in sight.

"When did you get this?" He asked the woman, gesturing to the band.

She looked at him blearily, blinking slowly and glanced at the jewelry fixed to her arm.

"Oh…pretty. I don't know…meet so many people." She giggled. "I could have a secret admirer." People around her laughed. "When can I leave?" She demanded. "I'm a bit peckish and we've been here sooo very long." It was all the woman could do to keep from falling over and the Doctor turned from her in frustration looking at Martha.

"Can't believe it." He muttered. "Gave her a choice and she goes off and gives it away the first chance she gets." Immediately, he turned on his heel heading back to the TARDIS with Martha following in close pursuit.

"What are we going to do?" She asked quietly, seeing all too well the pronounced disappointment and concern in his expression.

"What I have to. Get them back. It's too dangerous to leave them out there on their own." Once he located them and had them safely back on the TARDIS, he would mete out the consequences for their behavior but now….he shook his head, unlocking the door. Now, his primary worry was simply to find them first.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sorry about your dress." Laura said to Honor who still looked forlorn at having to leave it behind in the bathroom of the tube station.

"At least I got to wear it once. Knew I wouldn't be able to run around in it. That's why I wore all this underneath." Honor gestured to her shorts.

"If we come out of all this, we'll get you another one." Laura promised and Honor smiled weakly. Even walking swiftly from one train to the next through the tubes labyrinthine corridors was exhausting. The tunnels were mysteriously sectioned off by signs with a given color and name assigned to it, which Laura ventured in and out of in firm determination.

"Can't believe you know all this?" Honor wheezed and Laura chuckled.

"If you spent tens days here mapping out everywhere to go, you would too." Laura paused in memory. "If it makes you feel better, my first day here, I got on the wrong train three times in a row."

Honor giggled. "Trial by fire?"

"Something like that. Beth isn't that great with directions or trip planning but still, she's helped me through so much…I wish…"

"I can't wait to meet her." Honor said firmly just as Laura assured her that she couldn't wait to meet her brother. Laura gave her a grin.

"Right. One day. Your brother. My best friend. We'll swap stories and laugh. Have a round of drinks right?"

"Exactly. Maybe some ice cream too." Honor suggested.

"Oh, nothing goes better with drinks then ice cream." Laura suddenly stood up. "That's us. Peyton Station."

"How far from there?" Honor asked and Laura grimaced.

"Well, it's about a twenty minute walk but-"

"Twenty minutes?!" Honor protested.

"We'll try to find a cab, alright?"

"I s'pose. Got to keep moving."

Laura nodded. "That's right. It's just a bit more and then…" Her voice trailed as they exited the train and suddenly her face became filled with panic as she stared toward the exit. Honor followed her gaze to see the Doctor several feet in front of them, looking at them directly, his expression grim.

"Crap-" She started when Laura suddenly seized her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. "Where are we going?"

"Away. We can't give up now." Laura ran down the corridor for the orange line to Watford Junction just as two trains were coming in either direction. "Which way, you think, east or west?"

"You're asking me?" Honor looked at Laura.

Laura shook her head. "West. More options." They got on the train at the last minute only to exit three stations later at Blackhorse Road while swiftly changing to the Brixton line. The strain was evident on both girls faces as they looked out the train windows and Laura took a deep breath. "If we can only make it to the King's Cross Station, then-"

"But we both said he could get his TARDIS on those trains." Honor protested and Laura shook her head.

"Not for that. It's busy. Very public. He wouldn't try to take us where everyone could see and also we can get a taxi since it's pretty much like an airport. Pay in cash to take us directly where we want to go."

"Oh, okay." That made sense to Honor. "Got it. So we still go to-" She suddenly stopped speaking looking at train carriage directly attached to theirs. "Laura, it's-!"

But Laura was already on her feet as she saw the Doctor advancing through the train car and about to come into theirs when they pulled into the next station.

"Out. We need to get out." Laura said and they joined hands finding themselves in Finsbury Park and immediately headed down the pathway to the blue line venturing towards Heathrow Airport.

"Can we still make it to…" Honor was almost out of breath as was Laura but she managed to nod as they collapsed into the seats on the train.

"Still goes to Kings Cross." She muttered.

"He's relentless." Honor was starting to not like their chances and she looked at her friend who appeared to be in near despair. She swallowed her own misgivings and took Laura's hand in encouragement. "But we don't give up, right?" She took a deep breath. "He might get bored with all this."

"Right. That's what happens." Laura said morosely. "When he becomes fixated or fascinated by something. He tires of it and then…wait, no he doesn't."

Honor was silent feeling the veracity of Laura's words and with the Master already intrigued by their presence, well, she had difficulty saying what she knew was opposing to the Doctor's nature.

"Oh God." Laura muttered, gripping Honor's arm and the red head looked up, letting out a gasp as she saw the Doctor entering their very train carriage. He was making a steady progression towards their seats as they leaped up and immediately bolted out the exit.

"Honor! Laura!" He called out after them and they glanced around in panic. There were no other connecting lines that they could see as Laura took a quick glance at the map.

"Holloway Road." She muttered.

"What does that mean?" Honor demanded and Laura gazed at her in panic.

"Dead end. Not a transfer station. He-" They had been running towards the exit and Laura emitted a gasp to see him at the very top of the staircase. "No!" She cried out in protest, turning on her heel, heading back down. "How is he doing all this? Almost like he's everywhere at once and-"

"Forgotten he's a Time Lord?" Honor reminded her and Laura closed her eyes. She could feel perspiration clinging to her dress, running down her neck and she felt miserable. Fatigued, dizzy from the one glass of wine she consumed on an otherwise empty stomach. Oh, she swore when she was free of him, she and Honor would celebrate by having a five course meal but now….no. She had to keep that promise and then she spotted another door at the tail end of the station with a flickering sign, which indicated Emergency Exit. Maybe a siren would ring but he might not suspect they would take such a route, which would indicate their presence to him on a likely very shrill level but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"This way." Laura said. "Our only chance." Quickly, they hastened to the exit and without forethought, pushed open the door bursting out of the station….and into the console room of the TARDIS. The Doctor looked at them both from his position at the monitor as they glanced around in utter disbelief attempting to register what had just occurred.

"Weeeeell…..Quite the busy evening you both had." His voice was deadly calm as his eyes ventured upon each girl with untold seriousness. With a keystroke, the temporary chameleon circuit that had rendered the TARDIS door to appear as the tube station emergency exit faded only to reveal the familiar blue exterior in its place. Laura's head pounded as Honor stared at the Doctor unabashedly realizing that they had both been tricked and maneuvered into running back into the very place that they had so desperately struggled to escape.

"No, not again." Laura shook her head in pronouncement as she instantly turned, seizing her friends hand, to head back out the door only to have it slam shut directly in her face. When she seized the knob, she could hear the tell tale click of the deadlock sliding into place as the Doctor threw the switch behind them.

"Honor, Laura, come here." He ordered his tone stern as he stared at the two reprovingly. They refused his command seeming disinclined to face him, which forced the Doctor to approach the two glancing at each girl sharply with a degree of disappointment.

"You promised me neither of you would leave the room during that party. I took you at your word and what happened?" He glanced at the eldest of his two charges. "Where did your bracelet go, eh Laura?"

She swallowed and took a deep breath. "I decided to be charitable."

"I thought we had an agreement." The Doctor said quietly, shaking his head in frustration. "I trusted you and all this time, you lied to me." He folded his arms across his chest, his brows furrowing in displeasure. "Only wore the bracelet when I was watching, right? Then to break your word-"

"My word?" Laura spat as she glanced at Honor in disbelief. "Oh you're one to talk. Lecturing me about my word. Trust. Now that is a profound concept. I wonder if you even know what that means but you know what? It doesn't matter because I don't care if you trust me or not. You have made no inroads at ALL in the trust category so I have no compunction in doing what I need to do to get my control back." All of her anger had accumulated as she simply started to rant. "Why the hell would I trust you when you behave just like the guy who tried to control me too? Want to know what that was like? How he threatened to kill my own mother, told me what to do, what to say and that is just to name a few." She breathed heavily. "So eventually I tried to tell him he was full of it and what did he do?" She closed her eyes briefly. "Oh you two have so much in common. Giving me a choice between being locked in an infirmary or wearing a chemically spiked bracelet. Ingenious. He did that too. Promised he wouldn't hurt me. Asked me to listen to him only to spike a cocktail and drag me into a bathroom when I couldn't see straight. And you…." She glared at him. "You tried the same…"

The Doctor was in shock as he looked at the girl before him and started to shake his head. "Wait a minute, Laura." He was struggling to absorb every word she had just said. "That isn't-"

"Both so alike." She muttered cutting him off. "Want to drug me, drag me into a room, see what happens? I had to run and even then I couldn't get away. HE had to take me home and I couldn't…." Her voice trailed as she caught sight of both the Doctor and Honor staring at her. "There's never a way out." She said in barely a whisper as she dragged her fingers through her hair.. The real enormity of what she had done started to dawn on her and immediately she started to run past him. The Doctor attempted to put a hand on her shoulder but this time she was quicker as she jerked her arm away heading directly to the room the TARDIS assigned to her. What else was there to say? She had rambled in front of an absolute stranger, her kidnapper and now their best chance to escape lay in shambles around her. Venturing into her room, she collapsed onto the bed, clutching the rosary in her hand as she gave into tears that she had been holding back it seemed for days at a time and wept as she begged for God to return her home.

"I'm sorry." She whispered over and over for hours at a time. "Whatever I've done I'm sorry. Please, just please don't do this. God, please, I'm so, so sorry….just whatever this is….I can't…I just can't…." Her voice broke as she clutched her pillow, her body wracked by sobs that she felt unable to stop. "Please just stop…don't do this anymore…what have I done?" She whispered, her voice weak. "Please…. just what did I do?"

**Author's Note: We would like to thank LovelyAmberLight for her written contributions to this chapter as well as allowing us to use her story as reference points. Also thanks for the reviews as we progress. They are helpful in this endeavor.**


	4. Movie in my Mind

"Doctor," Honor Rae interceded before the Time Lord could follow Laura. "Let 'er go…When girls want to cry like that, we want to do it alone." She knew what her friend was feeling, having gone through those very motions herself.

"Did you know?" He asked her, turning around to face the red head, mind still turning over the events of what had been both a tearful accusation and confession given at the same time.

"Some, bits 'n' pieces. I knew that she was forced, but I didn't…I didn't really _know _the whole story," Honor dodged, rather wanting to start crying herself over what she had just heard as well as her instinct to find and comfort Laura.

"You hinted at it earlier," the Doctor realized.

"Only a bit, wasn't my place to tell you things that were told in confidence. She had to be the one to tell you," the red head admitted.

"What about you then? Your stepfather you mentioned…?" The Doctor pressed carefully, figuring that he should determine both of his passenger's traumatic memories while Honor was still present.

The teen bristled, "None of your beeswax. This ain't about me and my daddy-issues, it's about what you're goin' to do now that you know."

The Doctor, had turned from the hallway and approached Honor Rae, leaning against one of the support struts, eyeing her carefully the entire while. "And what is that s'posed to mean?"

"You hurt her, I will not hesitate in showing you that doin' that was one of the biggest mistakes you'd ever make in any of your many lives." She was shaking imperceptibly as she declared this, feeling adrenalin shoot through her as her blood pressure sky-rocketed. The Doctor was doing a rather good job at appearing intimidating.

"Is that a threat?" His voice was chilling and Honor Rae shivered. He was testing her, seeing how far she would be willing to go for a friend.

"No, it's the promise and I keep those when it comes to friendships. They're under _my _protection, even if they don't need or want it. I'd do most anything for her, within reason…even if it means standing up to you if you decide to be a bully." It was a tense moment between the two of them before the Doctor decided to diffuse the situation. Honor Rae couldn't help but exhaled a huge sigh of relief, unaware that she had been holding her breath the entire time, feeling rather taxed by the whole debacle.

He uncrossed his arms and sighed, as he massaged his temples, leaving the appearance of a wearied and tired individual. "Despite what the two of you would think, I'm not the villain you think I am. I suspected some kind of trauma, a betrayal, just not of this magnitude. Now her reactions all make complete sense, as does your rather protective nature…" He pondered why he hadn't seen it before. If only he had been more vigilant.

Honor grimaced. "I'd hoped that if you did find out, it'd be because she trusted you…not because she got ticked off."

"Trust," the Doctor repeated. "Never developed on either side, wasn't it? Oh, I thought I could trust the both of you to an extent, but then you had squandered that on the basis of never trusting me in the first place…Frankly, this cycle of doubt doesn't benefit either of us."

"We-" Honor Rae began only to be interrupted by the Doctor raising his hand.

"-don't trust me because of what you've seen, a _possible_ future, I might add. What you're forgetting is that time isn't set in stone that it could change so what you perceive might not even occur. If I could even trust you two, I would take your warnings into account, especially if you were trained to control your ability but you don't trust me at all and have decided that it isn't even worth trying to establish any faith between us. No. This 'future me' that you see, might not be a self-fulfilling prophecy yet if you only tried to connect the bridge instead of burning it down, weeell," The Doctor shifted, gaze focusing on the TARDIS console, continuing emotionlessly. "I can't trust you if you don't trust me. And if I don't trust you, I could end up turning exactly into what you have both come to dread."

She shuddered, the point the Doctor was trying to make hitting home. She thought quietly to herself and remembered the very deal that Lilly struck with her Doctor, the one that merited honesty with each other. It seemed to work for them, and she was grasping at straws, wanting to salvage this disaster that was happening right before her. She doubted if what she was about to do would be considered a wise or even just a smart decision on her part, but with so few options…

Honor Rae never wanted to meet the Time Lord Victorious, and she didn't want any more strife for her friend. She had said she'd do anything for Laura and she meant it. Maybe now was the time she proved it, even if only to herself and the Time Lord in front of her.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, attempting to calm herself. Wiping her sweaty hands on her shorts, she gathered her resolve and finally spoke, "Al-Alright then, Doctor. I want to make a deal with you."

The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed as he turned to look at her. "Sorry?"

"You said you needed a basis of trust between the both of us, I…Remember how I said before how if you want to know something to just ask? How if you just talked to us that we might listen? Well, I-I'm willing to make a deal with you." The Time Lord inclined his head, listening. "I'll be completely honest with you, tell you the truth when you ask me something as long as it doesn't betray Laura's trust _or _cause a paradox. If it's something's too personal or I'm unsure about the consequences, I'll tell you that, so I won't have to lie to you."

The Doctor merely gazed at Honor for a long time, that she started to get nervous and increasingly uneasy. The only thing that kept her from fleeing to her own room was the fact that the Time Lord hadn't outright dismissed her tentative olive branch but seemed to be considering it. Eventually, he asked, "And what would I have to do in turn if I agreed to this?"

"The same, I guess. Just be honest with me, and I'll be honest with you. If you can't answer, just say so and tell me why you can't."

"Just you and not Laura?" The Doctor's eyes bore into hers.

"I'm not goin' to speak for her…You'd have to ask her to make the same promise from her too. If she asks me the same question I asked you, I'll tell her unless it's something private or you ask me not to…but if that's the case, then I'd rather you not tell me unless you just want a sounding board. I'm not goin' to lie to her unless it's a life or death thing and even then…I don't know."

"How do I know you won't go back on this?"

Honor Rae flushed indignantly. "'Cause I keep my promises! I don't break 'em, and I trust you to do the same!"

The Doctor considered the fuming red head in front of him, carefully before pointing out sharply, "After all you said about not trusting me to begin with. Made it quite clear." The Minnesotan's mouth opened and closed helplessly before she bitterly looked away.

"I don't know anymore. I used to, just like how you used to be my hero, an anti-hero, sure, but one nonetheless. But after what I've seen and what's happened the past few days...I just don't know. It's hard to trust you when you don't give me a reason for the effort."

A heavy, suffocating silence formed between the two of them, as the two stared at each other silently.

"I can give you my word," the Doctor told her, his voice disturbing the quiet tension that had settled around them, but hardly dissipating the near Oncoming Storm persona he had almost come to adopt. "You're word is as good as mine at this point, but I'm warning you, no second chances. I don't make a habit of making promises like this for good reason, all the risk it involves." He felt that he was being awfully generous as he told her sternly, "_Don't break my trust again_."

Honor Rae shakily responded back as the Time Lord's intense eyes held her own, "D-Don't break mine."

There was a lengthy pause before the Doctor turned and gestured to the hallway. "It's getting late, you should go to bed."

She knew a dismissal when she heard one and passed the Doctor with a mumbled "Night." He nodded as he watched her go down the hall and out of sight. Closing his eyes tiredly, he hoped that he, also, hadn't made a mistake, but she seemed genuine and this was the first solution that seemed like a starting point for a foundation of trust he sorely needed with them. He fully expected to never take her up on the offer as a sounding board…but he could certainly answer questions. Something he had been planning in being a bit more open about in intent, but this, well, this would work just as well, answering what would be posed to him as an answer to a difficult problem.

There was still Laura to contend with but he decided to take Honor's advice and wait a few hours before approaching her. He sighed as he headed down the corridor, feeling frustration overwhelm him at how he would possibly approach her. With her, things were inherently far more difficult.

"You what?" Laura asked looking at Honor with a shocked expression on her face. It was hours later when Honor knocked on her door, insisting on coming inside.

"I made a deal with him, the same one Lilly did in 'Reality'. I'll be honest with him as long as it's not somethin' personal of mine, or somethin' you told me in confidence, or somethin' that'll cause a paradox. I'll tell you whatever he tells me unless it's somethin' seriously personal that he asked me not to share with anyone ever…Although, I personally doubt that'll ever happen, he's a private guy."

"Why would you do this? Doesn't make sense at all." She was struggling to understand.

"'Cause of somethin' he said, reminded me of the story of the cursed lady."

The brunette's brows furrowed in confusion. "Like an Urban Legend? How did it go?"

"Once, there was this lady and when she was six, she saw a fortune teller who told her that she'd die when she was twenty-six. Well, that scared the crap out of her, so she lived her whole life cautiously. Being careful with what and how much she ate, barely leavin' the house, always terrified whenever she got sick. She got more and more depressed as time went on, developing a severe anxiety disorder that only got worse with each passin' year, dreadin' the moment of her twenty-sixth birthday. Well, when the day came, she was so scared of dyin' that she had a heart-attack and well, that killed her on the spot."

"A…self-fulfilling prophesy?" Laura clarified wrinkling her nose at the rather morbid tale.

"Ironic, innit? She did everything she could to prevent it, got more and more worried…Only to die because she was so worried and scared. She was the one to bring it about."

"And that applies to our situation how…?" Laura had a notion of where she was going with this but she sincerely hoped she was wrong.

"Laura, we're so worried 'bout him becoming the TLV and treating him like he_ is_ the TLV…that we're probably goin' to drive him to become the TLV at this rate."

"So you're saying that I should _ignore_ my instincts and _trust_ him anyway?" She asked flatly. That very statement seemed to go against her very code. Trust was earned and he had done nothing to acquire her respect.

"No! No, not at all," Honor hastily denied. "I'm just sayin' to give him the benefit of a doubt…just a chance. It's obvious that he's never goin' to let us go 'cause of our artron energy." The red head's hands started to become clammy and she wiped them against her pajama pants as she tried to think of a way to rephrase her idea.

"So, I'm thinkin' of a truce of sorts while we try to come up with a solution for it ourselves. We ain't giving up on leavin' the TARDIS, but with this truce we won't bite each other's heads off and run away all the time _or_ knock people out and stick them with IVs. I mean, maybe we can stop some of the unnecessary bits from happenin' like with River or maybe, _maybe_ Adelaide and that whole fiasco, keep 'im from goin' batty, if you know what I mean."

Laura shook her head, trying to think of what to say. This sounded like a good idea on the surface but she didn't think that the younger girl realized that this truce she spoke of would require. How could she promise to just give up? She might concede to certain things but not to others and she thought hard about any sort of promise she might make and what it would entail.

What the red head verbalized sounded much better than their near-constant power struggle between them and the Time Lord…but the exact terms hadn't been established other than the Doctor and Honor being honest with each other. Laura still had her own decision to make and Honor still agreed to respect what secrets she told her in confidence.

She shook her head and turned towards Honor, not knowing what to think. "I just need more time to think. I'm sorry. I can't agree to anything right now. Not with him." Laura collapsed back on her bed as she wrapped her rosary back around her hand.

Honor nodded. "Okay, it's okay. I'll see you in the morning okay?" She was restless and a bit too preoccupied to sleep at present deciding to make a quick sojourn to the library. A book might help and soothe her frazzled mind.

"Wait." Laura called out. There was something Honor could do. A means of surety for themselves. Her laptop was hidden but all her other tech was together in her bag and if the Doctor ever found what was on it….No. She had to be proactive. The external drive might be the only proof at their disposal if things got bad and they needed help. Quickly, she reached into her purse, extracting the hard drive and handed it to Honor.

"You have to hide this."

"But…" Honor glanced at it. "Why? I thought…"

"He knows what I have. Might start confiscating things. I don't know but this can't be there when he does." She swallowed. "The rose garden. You know where it is?"

"Oh yeah. He never goes in that place." Honor told her.

"Perfect. Then he should never find it. Hide it in there." Laura told her. "Don't ever tell him about it. Has to be our secret."

"Our secret." Honor agreed. "I promise." She hesitated. "If he does find it, he'll be rippin'-"

"Don't worry, I'll never mention your name. But he won't." Laura was convinced of that. He didn't know the hard drive existed so why would he even check for it? Honor nodded and started to leave the room.

"Sweet dreams." Laura murmured briefly and unaware to her friend, Honor shuddered. Her dreams lately seemed anything but pleasant.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The TARDIS seemed to lead the Doctor on an eventual path back to the library where he entered the room, feeling his frustration at the situation overwhelm him. He didn't like what he had been forced to do and the trust that seemed to have fallen apart around him. Although Honor had offered a deal involving her truth in exchange for his that did not include the pending conversation he would be forced to have with Laura. How could he cope with someone that traumatized? It was lucky she trusted anyone much less him and if he knew the full circumstances, he would have acted differently. In a fit of sheer frustration, he picked up a book from one of the tables and tossed it hard across the room where it hit an aisle causing several items to fall from it with a resounding thud. Cursing himself, he made his way over there, glancing to find, beneath the rubble lay buried a familiar laptop. At once he knew it was Laura's but what was it doing here?

Immediately, he opened the computer only to find that it was passworded. This time, he used his sonic to bypass it but found that all the files in the computer had recently been deleted and the trash bin emptied. Alternating his setting, it was relatively simply to restore everything that had been removed from the computer although he had to commend Laura's thoroughness in not wishing to leave a trace however one file immediately came to prominence seeming to be the last document she had open on her computer.

"Lost in Reality"? He muttered to himself, reading the author's note and catching sight of the girl Laura mentioned before by the name of Amber. Apparently, it was a coauthored work done by the two of them and he felt distinctly awkward at invading Laura's privacy in this regard until he caught sight of the Doctor's name mentioned and froze. Immediately he started to read and with his ability to speed through literature quickly, he ventured through chapters one through eleven. By the time he finished, he was completely overcome with emotion, silently crying over Rose, grieving over a destroyed dimension and wondering more and more about Honor and Laura. Just what kind of creatures where they?

Why would Laura have something like this on her computer? Had she already been to other dimensions? Was this story an aborted timeline? Had it occurred, or was it simply a possibility she picked up on and written down? At least he knew who Sara was now. And he knew why they'd mentioned the Master. But what was all that nonsense about Time Lord bonding? Well, maybe once upon a time, eons before Gallifreyan historical records were properly kept, something like that may have been done. But it was never to the extent found in this human's computer.

The Doctor paused, thinking. His features softened for a moment. If it had been done, bonding with Rose would have been... The time lord shook himself. No. His bottom lip quivered. She was gone. Whether this "Lost in Reality" had been an alternate time line or not, it wasn't this time line. And for that he was relieved. He already carried the weight of destroying all of Gallifrey. He couldn't imagine carrying the weight of destroying an entire dimension as well, all of his friends, all of his companions. He'd never let that happen. This computer had answered some of his questions about the girls. But it had sparked quite a few new ones too. At least he knew a little more about why his charges carried so much animosity toward him. They obviously believed this story. And he'd been playing right into their fears.

How could he fix this? How could he get them to mind him without forcing the issue? The Doctor groaned, bringing his hand up to his head. "Rose would know," he whispered to himself. His frown deepened. "Rose." He swallowed. "I need you."

"You really miss her. Don't you?"

The Time Lord stood up and turned around to see Honor leaning against the door frame. He hadn't heard her come in. She walked over to him, and held out her hand.

"I don't think Laura would appreciate you going through her computer."

The Doctor clenched his jaw, but closed the computer, and handed it to Honor, keeping his eyes on the girl.

"Thanks."

"What's "Lost in Reality?" he asked.

Honor's bravado failed as a chill ran down her spine. Her eyes widened. What could she say? What should she say? How could she answer that? And how did he know? Didn't Laura say she'd deleted all those files? She swallowed. Just how much of that story could cause a paradox?

She had just made a deal. She couldn't lie when he asked her directly.

"It's just a story." She tried. "S'posed to be fiction. We told you that we write so-"

"Laura wrote this." He was looking at her directly. "It's on her computer. The Time Lord Victorious. How I went to Mars." He paused. "You think I would actually try to break a fixed point in time?"

Honor shook her head. "I can't answer that. I'm sorry. One of those things. It could damage the timeline. You shouldn't have read it."

He released a sigh examining the human standing in front of him who was obviously terrified of causing a paradox. He had to respect her for that despite her apparent inexperience. Both the girls required training and a measure of guidance but for that he needed to gain both their confidence. Not an easy task.

"I'm sorry. I had to know. Had to understand. I can see a bit more about where you two are coming from. Know what you're so afraid of. Must be terrifying to think that is what I could turn into." He grimaced. "The Time Lord Victorious. The Valeyard."

Honor shook her head, looking ill. "The Valeyard is worse. Terrified me when Laura tried to describe it and…" She shuddered.

"Oh?" The Doctor asked, placing his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels. "What did she say?"

"Don't want to rock the boat but the best comparison was like a devil worshiper." She whispered. "The dark Matrix, the sacrifices, the death. Using Jack the Ripper…" She felt too queasy to continue.

"Honor," He said quietly. "The Valeyard's gone. Not since my sixth regeneration. You have to believe that and this Time Lord Victorious…" He paused.

Honor was silent, her face pale as she stared at him.

"I would never knowingly break a fixed point in time. They are a burden we carry from our days in the Time Lord Academy. You have to believe that."

Honor could only look at him, her heart pounding as she clenched her hands together. "You want the truth so I'm going to say it. I wish I could but the stuff I know…"

"Time can be rewritten." The Doctor insisted to her. "It happens all the time."

"Laura thinks it's inevitable. A path you're meant to follow if you're not already…" She paused. How could she even say it to him.

"If I'm not already the Time Lord Victorious." He finished. Admittedly, with all that she had revealed, he could of tried to be more patient earlier on and winced remembering how freely he used telepathy to ease her to sleep as she panicked or to force her to obey his will. A violation. She might have seen that as such. Although, he couldn't give the girls their freedom, he knew he needed to speak to Laura, now more then ever before her state of health became perpetually worse. She needed to decide, to make the choice to work with him. There could be no other alternative.

"Honor, the computer. I need it back. I restored it and I need to talk with Laura. Try to figure things out. I'm just going to return it to her."

Honor looked at him steadily before returning the laptop. "Remember my warning. She's my friend. You hurt her…"

"I know, I know. I'll have hell to pay. I promise, I only want to help her. You have to start trusting me now. We both made that deal."

The girl only looked at him steadily. "Fine. We'll see. When you finish talking to Laura, then we'll know."

He started to walk out of the room with her computer. "She's right about one thing, Doctor. Trust is earned."

He nodded, understanding that statement far too well.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor stood outside of Laura's door. He hesitated, reached up, and knocked.

"Laura?" he called out. "I think we need to talk."

Laura simply continued to lay on the bed and pressed her hands against her ears. She felt utterly wretched to having let slip her entire at a sheer moment of weakness. A part of her considered the thought that he would forget the entire rant she delivered and ignore the situation as another domestic awkwardness but somehow she had the feeling he recalled each word. She swallowed. "Nothing to talk about. I'm fine." She clutched onto the beads of her rosary tighter for strength in order to keep her voice even.

"I think there is," responded the Time Lord. "I think we need to fix this." The Doctor adjusted his hold on the laptop computer he'd taken back from Honor. "I have your laptop," he informed her. If she wouldn't open the door to speak to him, maybe she'd open it for her computer. He could always just sonic the door open, but he wanted Laura to make the choice.

A small frisson of alarm went through her. Yes, she had removed the files from her computer after placing them on her external hard drive but she could hardly go about leaving her laptop in her room. She knew all too well how easy it would be for him to restore everything she deleted, which was why she had taken pains to hide it in the library somewhere it should have taken at least a year or two to find. And he just...she shook her head. Must have been an accident and he simply got lucky. That's all it could be but she couldn't risk having it just remain in his hands where he could leisurely pull up all those stories, the episodes, the videos she made at his will.

Her heart pounding with dread that helped to still some of her humiliation. She went to the door and pulled it open, reaching for the laptop without making eye contact with him. "Thanks, I'll..." Her voice trailed as he stole quietly past her into her room through the open door.

The Doctor wondered around the room, taking note of the decor, and nodding to himself. Finally, he spoke. "She likes you," he said to himself. He looked over at Laura, and handed her the computer. "I think you left this in the library." He watched for the girl's reaction. "I restored most of the files for you. Honor said it was yours."

"Restored them?" Laura glanced down at the computer. "And what else? Did you look at them?" She took a deep breath but then she knew. His curiosity...his ability to speed read and that look in his eye. "Oh my God." She whispered to her self. Her stories were so much like a journal and she posted under a cloak of anonymity. No one was supposed to know who she truly was...and now, just another part of her had been exposed.

"I only read one file. I thought I should ask permission before reading anything else. May I?" The Doctor gestured toward a chair. "I have a few questions."

"Already been humiliated once. What else do you want to know?" Maybe it was some innocuous chapter or essay that he read but she opened her laptop and typed in the password, feeling her vision start to swim as she saw 'Lost in Reality' open on the monitor. Her legs felt weak as she collapsed on the bed, dark spots dancing before her eyes. What if this caused a paradox? What if she...? How could she have been this stupid? She should have hid it more carefully. He was speaking to her and she could barely hear his voice through the ringing in her ears. What was he saying?

"Laura? Laura!" The Doctor stood over the woman, sonic screwdriver in hand. Why had she collapsed? When was the last time she'd eaten? "Laura, can you hear me?" _Enough of this_, the Time Lord thought to himself. He wasn't about to let someone else die on his watch. With speed and precision he pulled a syringe from his pocket, and used his mouth to pull off its protective cover.

She desperately tried to clear away the haze and steady herself feeling the crippling effects of her anxiety attack overwhelm her, when she felt her arm suddenly taken and a needle hurriedly pierce her skin as its contents were beginning to make themselves apparent throughout her veins. "Ouch!" She yelped gripping her offended arm and suddenly sitting up, surprised to see that her vision cleared. "What was that? What did you do?" She felt the very same alarm in comparison to the spiked cocktail she had imbibed in once upon a time. "Waited until my defenses were down just to take advantage?" She breathed. "Just like before...just like..." She closed her eyes and muttered to herself quietly to stop.

The Doctor took several steps back, replaced the syringe's protective cover, and grimaced, looking at Laura. What was he going to do with her?

"You're blood sugar was too low. You were passing out. I'm a doctor. I helped." He slid the empty syringe back into his pocket, grateful he'd had the foresight to prep the medicine. "What do you expect me to do? Nothing?" The agitated alien ran his hands back and forth through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can't just stand by and not do anything. I can't." He swallowed and turned around. "You wrote that." He turned back to face Laura. "You wrote "Lost in Reality." You know. You understand. You understand me, what I go through every day... every moment of every hour of my life. You know how I suffer. But then you stand there and wonder why I can't just stand by and watch another person die, another person kill herself. It's... I can't. I just... I just can't."

Laura sighed feeling infinitely conflicted and remembered the feelings she had when she wrote each of her segments in response to Amber's. How could she even explain that story? "It wasn't just me who wrote it." She saw him looking at her. "You never read Lost in Time but the version I created of you..." She swallowed and pushed herself off the bed. "I based on a sociopath. I told you I didn't believe in heroes and what I saw..." She remembered the Time Lord Victorious even without interference from The Waters of Mars episode. "Amber helped me see it...what I was missing. Now it's gone. My world is gone." She took a deep breath. "Sara is just a character I made up. Fiction. I'm not supposed to be here and I don't want to end up..." She decided not to finish that statement. "I know you suffered. We are both so aware of it but did you ever think that having us around could just make it worse? Why hassle with us at all?" She closed her eyes. "Guess you know what happens to Rose or is that the only reason you're here? You want to know when you will see her again."

"See her again? Is that what you sense? Is that the future you see?" The Doctor shook his head. "Laura, I know you think what you wrote was fiction, but I don't. I think you and.. and Amber picked up on an aborted time line. It happens sometimes when time is damaged or rewritten." Was everyone in Laura's and Honor's universe able to pick up on temporal anomalies? Did they all have the delusion of thinking it was fiction? "But what you saw and wrote about won't happen now. The time line we're currently in is far too different. For one thing the other Time Lord your wrote about, the Master, is dead. He died in a war. Rose is living out a life... A fantastic life in a parallel dimension. And there's no way for her to come back. Trust me. If there was a way, she'd already be here. And as for the reason I'm keeping you with me. It's simple. Who and what you are, what you know could be used to destroy the universe. Just..." The Doctor made a hand gesture for Laura to wait before she could cut him off. "Just listen. Give me a chance." He sighed. "Imagine if someone... Hitler. Imagine if Hitler had access to future knowledge. Imagine what could have happened. Imagine what he would have done. What would your world be like today?" He paused. "There are people... Monsters. There are still monsters just like him. And if they ever got their hands on you or Honor, just imagine what they could do with all the information you could provide. And believe me... you'd provide. There are ways of making anyone break. So, don't think you could just keep your mouth shut. Because you can't. The TARDIS is the safest place for you. It's the safest place in the universe. It's the safest place for you and the safest place for the universe." The Doctor took a deep breath, realizing he'd started to ramble a bit. But he hoped he'd gotten through to her. If he could get Laura to see things his way, if he could get her to mind him, he knew Honor would follow. He watched the girl to see if anything was getting through to her.

"So everything Amber and I wrote about how you could never possibly come to grips with the idea that your life is actually a TV show in another dimension is right?" She saw him raise his eyebrows. "Oh, I'm done humoring you. I have four seasons on my external hard drive. I made music videos about the show and wrote college essays on the series. Discussed and debated it in class. It was part of my TV production lab and what I hallucinated every moment of that?" She shook her head. "I know biodampners exist. Perception filters. They could hide Honor and I until we can find a way home. We're not from here. We just want to go home." Laura briefly took to thinking of the last few episodes she had seen of season eight. "If you knew or thought Gallifrey was still around, still here. Wouldn't you do just about anything to go home? Can't you just _listen?" _She emphasized.

"You know the TARDIS isn't safe. Honor and I know that too and if you read Lost in Reality and are really reading the words there, heard what Lilly said, then making Honor or I stay here is next to torture. You would be doing to me just what he did only..." She rubbed her arms back and forth. "I started to lose myself before. Every part of me started to vanish and if that happens again..." She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

The Doctor clenched his jaw. Why wouldn't she listen? Listen. The word vibrated through him. It was surreal hearing another person speak the name if his home world. He hadn't heard it in so long. Even Rose had never known it's name. The words "Gallifrey" and "listen" vibrated through him. Oh. She was good. She knew exactly what she was doing. Laura knew exactly which words to use around him. The time lord knew it. But she'd underestimated him. He was clever after all, a lot more clever than she was giving him credit. The Doctor pushed away his irritability, and tried again.

"Biodampners fail. Perception filters only work when a person isn't avidly seeking what's being filtered. I'd have to be there to babysit. And that's not something I'm willing to do. Too many other lives are at risk. There's more at stake than just you."

She turned on him. "Me? I'm not talking about just me. What happens if we wreck your timeline. God forbid, what happens if you die? Whether you believe it or not, I actually don't want that to happen. I don't want a paradox or some disaster which is exactly what our presence can cause." She shook her head and then opened up her iTunes account prompting the episode Doomsday up right for him to see where the Doctor and Rose were saying their last farewells at Bad Wolf Bay. He seemed to stare at it aghast and then closed his eyes in pain. She took a deep breath. "You think I want to see this and I'm sorry you lost her. I am really sorry but the thing is I have years more of episodes after this one." She waved her hand in reference to her computer. "That is what you're risking by having us onboard. Suffering. Yours. Ours. Others and I don't want that. Honor doesn't want it. If we mess up...if you die, if others die..." She could hardly speak. He was supposed to be more then a year distant from being the Time Lord Victorious but if her theory in her story had been correct. No. She didn't even want to fathom that. Why did she have to be trapped here? She remembered the Doctor she and Amber had him evolve into after he realized he had gone too far as the Time Lord Victorious. Was that version really so distant from the reality she was facing now? Laura started to feel more alone then ever as she held tighter to her rosary muttering a prayer quietly to herself.

The Doctor was stunned, breathing raggedly. Rose. He took a deep breath, and calmed himself. "May I?" he asked, reaching toward the laptop.

She turned. He wasn't angry or looking at her with fury in his eyes. He was struck. In pain, looking at her with a silent plea in his eyes. It gave her some miniscule hope. Maybe the Doctor that Amber and herself had fathom him later evolving into was there. She nodded, handing him her computer. "Just be careful." She tried. "Some of the episodes after, you haven't done and I don't want to do any damage...that's all." Her voice shook as she backed away and she sat on her bed, clutching her hands together tightly.

The Doctor tilted his head, giving Laura a look. She was mothering him. This tiny little child of a human was warning him, an all mighty and ancient time lord, about the dangers of future knowledge. He pursed his lips before smirking slightly. After nearly a millennium of handling time crashes the likes no human could comprehend, it was almost endearing to see such a time stunted creature trying to protect him from his own domain. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

The Doctor chose to sit on the floor Indian style rather than use the chair. He pulled out his sonic screw driver, and used it to activate the video. Laura watched the Doctor as the Doctor watched the episode.

"That's not right," he muttered to himself. The whole scene with Jackie introducing him and Rose to what she thought was her grandfather's ghost was completely wrong. Nothing like that had happened. But how she kissed him when he and Rose had first arrived was completely accurate. The Doctor continued to watch. He began noticing little things. The characters didn't move exactly how he remembered them. The dialogue, particularly his dialogue, was simplified or missing whole sections. Sometimes the people weren't standing in the same configuration they should have been. Whole scenes were completely omitted or wrong or never happened at all. And once in a while one of the characters was looking off in the distance like they weren't really there. It's... It's a video, he realized. This was a video created by humans. The dialogue was simplified into what the aliens could understand. The vacant stare he'd noticed was when one of the actors had been distracted by what was going on behind the camera. And the actors were standing in the wrong places, so the camera could fit them into the shot.

The Doctor looked up at Laura, completely shocked. They were right. Honor and Laura were right. His life was a telly program. The Time Lord swallowed. That would mean his previous theory was right. Everyone in their original dimension must be able to pick up on time lines. This was almost worse. If someone found out, weeell, if the wrong someones found out, they might try to break down the walls of the universe to capture their own human. The whole planet could be pulled through into this dimension. And if by some miracle the walls of the universe held together, every human on that planet would be auctioned off for profit. This was dangerous information. The laptop needed to be destroyed. Laura and Honor needed to keep their mouths shut. And there was no way the Doctor could ever let them out of his sight.

He was about to shut off the device when he caught sight of Rose arguing with her mother about going over into Pete's World. The Doctor smiled to himself. She always could hold her own. His smile slipped when he saw the actor playing the Doctor slide the dimension jumper over Rose's head. He saw the forlorn look in the actor's eyes, and wondered how someone so alien could portray his very real heartbreak. The Doctor continued to watch. He wanted to shut it off. He wanted to stop watching. But he couldn't. Just one more moment, he thought. Just one more moment of being with Rose, of seeing her, hearing her. When she was finally stuck on the other side of the wall, it was almost all the Doctor could do to hold back his tears. He'd no idea Rose had cried like that. He'd never known how she pounded on the wall, begging him to take her back. And he'd no idea she'd stopped and felt his presence, pressing herself up against the wall the same way he had done.

The Doctor let out a shuttered breath, bottom lip quivering, as tears escaped him. He quickly ran his hands over his face and stood up. With a look of finality, he held his screwdriver in his fist pointed down at the laptop on the floor, and activated it. In less than five seconds the laptop was nothing more than a pile of melting and sparking plastic. He looked at Laura, power and finality in his stare. He looked frightening.

"I need your other devices," he told her. "If there is anything about this dimension on them, they need to be destroyed."

"What?!" Laura leapt to her feet. He had destroyed her outlet. She had went out on a limb and in one movement, he smashed everything out from under her. "So you're no better then my RAPIST?" She was shaking hard. "Wanting to destroy every piece of my life too?" Tears suddenly streamed down her face as a flashback danced once more in front of her eyes. "That was all I had to get me through and you destroyed it!" She shrieked. "He used me...just like...mirrored it all. My brother...I told him what my brother did to me when I was ten...he used that too. He didn't care and you want to destroy it?" Her hands trembled. "I tried..I gave you a chance. How could I forgive my brother and not give you a chance...HOW COULD I?"

In a burst of energy, she seized her bag and ran down the corridor away from him hardly able to see where she was going and not even caring. "Please don't let him take this...please...please!" Sheer, unadulterated grief blinded her. Could she have really been so wrong? After all this time, was Amber? She thought she saw...

She found herself back in the wine cellar and dumped her bag in a groove behind one of them many aisles before she ended up collapsing to her knees in the storage room. No, she didn't believe in suicide and would never attempt it. She was Catholic after all but she stared at the rosary in her hand between her tears and her words slipped out as she wept in prayer. "Why can't you let me die?" It was the only question she could ask her Maker as she wrapped her arms around herself while taking to sob on the floor. "I tried.." She whispered. "Sorry...please...whatever I did..." She had taken to begging for forgiveness again for she was certain this was a punishment for some multitude of sins she committed. She didn't even hear the footsteps approach her.

"Laura, you need to calm down." The Doctor leaned against one of the racks in the storage room. "I'll give you a new laptop. I'll make it even better than that one if you want. But we need to get rid of any information about... about the show on your devices. The longer they exist, the longer this universe... and your universe are at risk." He knelt down on one knee in front of the human cowering before him. "You already deleted all the files on that computer before. All I did was make them irretrievable. And anything you want to keep on your other devices can be transferred before we destroy them."

He looked at the little human in front of him. She'd said he was no better than a rapist. Obviously she'd been traumatized. If she was transferring all her aggression over being so violated to him over simply destroying a computer she'd already tried to destroy herself, this was going to be a difficult relationship. Maybe it was because he was male. Or maybe something in his mannerisms or voice reminded her of her attacker. Whatever it was. Her assault was still effecting her. And she was suicidal.

He'd heard her plea. "Why can't you just let me die?" He'd thought there might be a chance her eating habits had been just that, bad habits. But now it was so painfully clear. She was so traumatized over her previous assaults, she wanted to die. She obviously believed she deserved what happened to her. That's why she was begging in prayer for forgiveness. Deep down inside she thought people earned whatever they suffered. She might not think so on a conscious level. But at least subconsciously, she blamed herself. And even if she didn't want to admit it, or didn't believe it herself, her eating habits were a form of suicide. It all made sense. He'd have to be careful with this one. There was nothing more dangerous than approaching a wounded animal. And this human, Laura, was definitely wounded.

The Doctor stood up and walked away. The sound of his sonic screwdriver whirring as he left. A moment later he was back with Laura's back in hand. He dropped it next to her, standing tall.

"Do you want your world to die?" His face was grim. "Do you want every person you've ever known to end up dead, or enslaved, or worse, stuck in the void?" He knelt down on one knee, looking her in the eye. "Because that's what could happen, if we don't destroy your devices."

"Then find us a way back home. Seal the crack and forget about us. Like we never existed." She swallowed hard. "Please don't destroy them. They're gifts. All I have left of my family..." She clutched her bag. "My iPod. My family gave it to me for Christmas. There are pictures. My best friend. My niece." She would never tell him she stowed her hard drive in a separate location now. Oh maybe before when she thought he might have softened. She thought she saw it but all she saw was the hardened exterior...she closed her eyes. Her words trailed off in her throat. What was the use in begging? Maybe if Amber were here she would have all the right things to say. She was the wrong person for this world...

"For just a moment, I thought you could be like him. The last chapter of 'Lost in Reality'. Knew bondings weren't right but I thought I saw him, then..." She glanced at him. "Will you ever let us go back home? Will you try...?" Her voice started to break as she looked at him. What had she done? She had managed to make things infinitely worse for Honor and herself. She rested her head in her hand, closing her eyes. Honor knew where the drive was so...thoughts began to swirl around her head.

"I promise you," said the Doctor. "If I can find a safe way to send you home, something that won't risk my universe or yours falling into the void, I will." He let his body slide down the rest of the way to sit on the floor, leaning against a shelf. "When I detected the crack that let you through, I thought it might be a way to get to Rose." He frowned. "But it wasn't. And it sealed up right after you arrived. I'm still scanning for cracks. Have been ever since the cyberman attack." He looked over at Laura. "But I have to warn you, it's probably impossible. You really shouldn't be here at all. That doesn't mean I'll give up." He gave Laura a soft smile, and reached out a hand. "I need your devices. I'll download every thing to the TARDIS mainframe, all your pictures, everything except "Doctor Who."" He smiled, thinking of the title. It fit him so well. "Then I'll upload all of it onto new devices for you. The only thing you'll lose will be the show." He understood she'd told him her human toys were gifts. But keeping the toys wasn't worth risking the life of those who gave them to her. "What's more important? Those bits of tech, or risking your family's lives?"

He continued holding out a hand, waiting for Laura to hand over the devices. The Time Lord knew he could easily overpower her. He could take them. He could have taken them before when he had her bag in his hands. But he wanted her to give them to him. He wanted her to make the choice. She'd already suffered too much when others had stolen her choices from her. He might not be able to give her all the choices she wanted, or thought she deserved. But he hoped including her in what had to be done would help pave the way to a better relationship between them. Who knows? Maybe someday they might even be friends.

"Please let me keep the iPod." She pleaded. "I swear to you there was never anything related to Dr. Who on it. I never even got it connected to wi-fi. It was only for music. That's it." She knew some of the albums there were from the future but what harm could it do since he was suggesting transferring it to another device. What possible difference could it make? "I'll have nothing left of my family and if I never see them again..." She took a deep breath. Maybe he was right. Maybe even hiding the external hard drive was dangerous. If she could demonstrate a measure of good faith, he wouldn't destroy something so insignificant. Honor told her about a deal she made with him like Lilly in 'Reality'. She held off, not wishing to make any promises but the Doctor in that story never believed Lilly. This one did and if he was serious about finding them a way home...

"I'll do what Honor did. I'll make the same deal. Tell you the truth." It was an extreme sacrifice since her major was so based on the art of interpretation and creative thinking. "Not the iPod...it's the only thing I have. It's worthless to you. To anyone. She took her iPad and iPhone out of her bag and immediately shoved it towards him. "If you don't believe me," She paused. "I backed up everything to an external hard drive and hid it on the TARDIS. I'll give it to you. Please, just let me keep this." She held onto the iPod wrapped in its blue protective casing and looked at him shakily. "If you don't believe me..." She took a deep breath. "Look into my mind. I'll-I'll let you."

The Doctor smiled, withdrew his hand, and began rubbing an eye. He chuckled. "Laura, if "Doctor Who" wasn't ever downloaded onto the iPod, there's no reason to destroy it. And there's no need to look into your mind. That's not something I make a habit of." _Humans_, he thought. _They could be so melodramatic sometimes. Still... Making a back up for her hard drive. That was pretty smart_. He probably would never have guessed. "I'll definitely need the back up to your hard drive, however." He bent one knee, and reached for her devices. "What about the iPad and iPhone? Did it have anything from "Doctor Who" on it?"

She was startled, glancing up at him. She was so sure he wouldn't believe her. "It's just you made me before..." She gestured to her head in a reference to the last few times he took control over her mind. "With the IV and..." Her voice trailed as she looked down at the devices feeling perplexed struggling to put her thoughts together. "The iPad and iPhone don't have shows but the iPad has two apps I downloaded for research. Plus there's the book under my kindle app. The iPhone is new but when I upgraded, I had my iPad with me and the salesperson said he linked my iPhone with my iPad." She sighed briefly. "I'm not much of a Mac person. I grew up on PC's so I don't know if linking them means my iPhone has access or the same information that my iPad does, I swear. I only know my iPod was safe because I never connected it to wi-fi. It was only for me to listen to music. I know it's pretty stupid." She paused. "My brother says it most of the time." She muttered under her breath. At least she had her iPod. That was something. "My hard drive. I hid it in the rose garden." It was a calculated move because she figured he wouldn't like the reminder. "You'll give me another laptop?" She asked. "I can keep writing?" If she had that, it could help ease some of the pain. She could refocus her passion on that pursuit...maybe she could ask him to make one for Honor too and then they could write like they used to. It would ebb away her grief or she could distance herself from this world around her. Retreat into another realm of the fantastical. Not Dr. Who but there were so many possibilities. Writing might be her only means of escape. She saw him looking at her introspectively and she struggled to repress her stray thoughts, which emotions might be plainly seen on her face. Taking a deep breath, she held it.

The Doctor finished scanning the iPhone, nodding to himself. "Yup." He popped his "P." This one needs to be destroyed too. He continued to use his sonic screwdriver on the device, downloading all its data to the TARDIS. "It's not the actual show that's the problem I'm worried about," he explained while he worked. "It's not accurate enough to pose any trouble. It's the idea that there's a world out there full of people who can pick up on time lines. If anyone got a hold of these, either because of the show or other things from the show, they'd realize what kind of people you come from. Quite a few would try to reach your world. Probably destroy both universes in the process." He laid the iPhone on the ground, and melted it. The iPad was next. "So..." The Doctor readjusted his hold on the device as he downloaded it. "You probably shouldn't tell anyone you're from another dimension. And when I say probably shouldn't tell, I mean don't. Don't tell anyone where you're from." He set the iPad on the ground, and looked at Laura. "If someone figures out you can see time lines, that's bad enough. But if they realize where you're from..." He melted the device. "That'll put both universes in danger." He looked back at the human. "Do you understand?" He reached out a hand. "Let me see the iPod. I need to double check it. Just in case." He was still waiting to hear if she understood or not, while also waiting to see if she'd let him check the iPod. Just because she'd never connected it to the internet, didn't mean someone else hadn't. The Doctor knew humans would often refurbish tech, and sell it as new. With so many lives at stake, he had to be sure.

She hesitated but she knew he could simply just take it if she just refused and the odds of her being able to keep it were substantially higher if she agreed. Her parents bought it brand new from the apple store. She knew that because the gift receipt was in the box. She only connected it to her iTunes account on her PC. She didn't even bother with software updates. Only the default apps were programmed in and she made no adjustments to those. The time was never even correct as it had never been online once. The device was simply her travel iPod. Nothing more. She couldn't even fathom putting tv episodes on the thing. The screen itself was way too small. She closed her eyes and handed it over feeling her tears emerge, starting to trickle down her cheeks. Her throat felt dry. "I might never see them again." She muttered to herself. "I really might-" She started to feel queasy. What drug had he given her or was it just inside her mind? She was watching him examine her iPod, the last remnant of her home and her stomach started to protest. She was on her feet and into the nearest restroom as her body was consumed with dry heaves...but nothing came up. There were no contents in her stomach to lose...she swallowed the bile in her throat, struggling to breathe. Maybe it was just the sudden realization of the void, everything she lost and she wrapped her arms around her abdomen, falling to her side in a struggle to abate the nausea that was overwhelming her.

Several minutes later the Doctor walked into the bathroom carrying a mug of bubbling liquid. He squatted down next to Laura, and gently held it out toward her. "It'll settle your stomach," he offered. "You don't have to drink it. But it's here if you want." The brew was a mixture of herbs from several different planets specially designed for the human pallet, and for curbing nausea. Like chamomile tea, the Doctor hoped it would have a calming effect on Laura. They'd made such strides in the last hour. But the Time Lord knew it had taken its toll on the girl. Severe nausea and vomiting was a sign of starvation. However, the Gallifreyan suspected the cause was more due to her emotions. He frowned. If anyone knew what it was like to lose everything, it was him. He slowly and tentatively reached out to rest his free hand gently on her shoulder, watching to make sure his offered comfort didn't add to her distress.

She closed her eyes but didn't flinch. It felt oddly familiar. She remembered when she was in the recovery room with her father struggling with a bout of nausea after her procedure and the anti nausea remedy they inserted into the IV simply didn't remedy her discomfort. He put his hand on her shoulder in just the same way, letting her know he was there and in the weeks it took to recover, he stood by vigilant regardless of how unpleasant it was. His touch was never invasive or disconcerting. "My father...you reminded me." She pressed her lips together. "I never got to say good-bye. They won't know what happened to me. I'll just be gone and I don't know if I can do this...I can't..." Her words trailed off as she struggled to suppress all the emotions that were boiling to the surface. Nausea still had hold of her but she lacked the energy to reach for the beverage he offered. What if it just came back regardless? Before she only regularly consumed the one meal a day before arriving here but since she initiated her hunger strike, the effects she experienced were far more pronounced. She didn't know what to do. Now everything seemed out of control. 

The Doctor took note. Laura hadn't flinched against him. She hadn't taken the offered drink. But she hadn't declined it either. Her eyes were barely open. Carefully, the time lord brought the cup close to her mouth. He paused, letting the human smell it before bringing it to her lips. He tilted the cup so the liquid was available to her. If she didn't want it, she still didn't have to drink. But if she was too overwhelmed to reach for it, too overwhelmed to help herself, the liquid would be there for her.

"I'm here," comforted the Doctor. "It's alright." He gazed at Laura and he was reminded briefly of his own children. Both Laura and Honor's ability to sense time with tremendously high Artron levels in their own physiology made it difficult for him not to make the comparison and if other humans in their dimension had a similar ability, what if….He paused in contemplation. This could be hard coded in their genetics and part of their DNA passed down through heredity. It would certainly explain how humans managed to conceive his life as a show given a natural connection to the vortex within their own cellular makeup but how? When he found the right time, he would need to run further tests.

Laura examined the contents, nearly anticipating it to smell downright vile from the way the concoction appeared at first glance but strangely, it smelled like peppermint and cinnamon, reminding her of home. This time, he wasn't forcing it down her throat or sticking a needle in her arm, he was giving her a choice. So many had been taken from her and now...

Laura took a sip tentatively, where upon swallowing she felt a warmth spread through her stomach as the heaving started to settle, leaching it away. "I'm sorry." She managed to whisper. He glanced up at her and she merely looked down at her hands. "Sorry I said you were like him...I'm just so lost." She muttered. She was referring to her comment before comparing him to that of her rapist and she hoped he understood. "I'm not trying to kill myself." She drew in a shaky breath. "I'm just..." Her words faded. She didn't know what to say. None of this had been intentional but at this point, she didn't know how to get it to stop.

"It's alright," the Doctor repeated. "We'll figure this out... together." The Time Lord gave the human another long sip before setting the cup on the counter. He reached into his pocket, and handed Laura her iPod. "It's safe," he said, informing her she could keep her iPod. "C'mon." He stood up and offered Laura his hand, knowing the alien herbs would already be making her feel better. He could see it in her eyes. "Let's go talk to Honor." He gave his new companion a smile. "After we take care of the hard drive back up, maybe we could go somewhere. Perhaps a nice picnic on Solaris, or we could tour the Brekan Gardens on Jupiter 7, or... or anywhere you want." The Doctor was excited. As much as he was sorry Laura and Honor were somehow cut off from their home, he was grateful they finally seemed to be getting along. And what better way to continue their new friendship than taking them somewhere special. Goodness knows they were probably suffering from cabin fever as much as he was. It was definitely time for a trip.

She gingerly took his hand as he pulled her to his feet, still feeling unsteady as she felt the dull throbbing of a headache begin to pulse, making her vaguely disoriented. His hand was supporting her as they ventured out of the bathroom and she glanced up at him quickly. With hers and Honor's desperate run, she found herself once again separated from the medication that was keeping her headaches at bay but maybe with this accord they struck, he would now return her bottle to her.

"Doctor, my Topirimate, could I have it back?" She took a deep breath. "I never lied when I told you about these headaches. Had two concussions and it's the only thing that helps. Please…I was in the ER multiple times until my neurologist gave that to me and I think we both know my pills have nothing to do with the show." She said, her tone almost light.

He looked down at the human next to him calculating her appearance swiftly. "I may have just the thing for that." He said, changing direction to the infirmary.

"But my pills, Doctor…"

He took a deep breath and turned to face her, gently placing his other hand on her shoulder. "Laura, listen to me for a moment, please." He took a deep breath knowing he should have explained this more in depth before. "Topirimate was approved by the FDA for treatment of weight loss and migraines in 2012," He started.

"You said this before." Laura simply stared at him.

"What I didn't tell you that eight years later it was recalled due to increase in severe side effects including toxic epidermal necrolysis, Apraxia, Neutropaenia…" He started.

Laura stared at him blankly and the Doctor quickly changed rephrased.

"Low white blood cell count, developmental disorders, lack of fine motor skills and a life threatening skin condition." He took a deep breath. "Your early tests already displayed a reduced white blood cell account, one of the hallmark side effects of the medication. I just can't let you continue taking it. Being a drug prescribed for weight loss in addition-"

"I never knew about that. Not really." She protested. "My neurologist only said some weight loss was a possible side effect and these headaches….they're excruciating. I couldn't even function. I started taking that and it all stopped and-"

He shook his head pondering the true aptitude of this particular doctor and whether he had seen the results on any of his patients. "And this doctor…" He paused. "Did you ever return for a check up after he prescribed it?"

Laura thought about it. "Once." She frowned. "It took over thirty minutes to get there but he was a worker's comp doctor and so my choices were limited." She saw the puzzled expression. "In the states, if you injure yourself at work, you're restricted to going to only a few doctors in a certain network. It's a real hassle and the first doctor I had prescribed two medications that had drug interactions with each other, then-"

"What?!" The Doctor was aghast. "His license wasn't suspended? There weren't any consequences?"

"This is America." Laura said dryly. "They circle the bandwagon to protect themselves from lawsuits. After going to the ER, I was fired as a patient. Believe me, the Topiramate was far better then the three times I went to the hospital in one month."

"Maybe." The disgust still registered in his tone. He was not returning to her such a primitive medication when he had treatment that could remedy the actual cause for her migraines. "But I know I have a better option."

She let him guide her to the medbay, looking at the room nervously likely feeling no better then how Sara regarded the dreaded facility. "No IV's?" She asked in confirmation.

"Not for now." He said lightly. Since she had finally dealt honestly with him, he would do the same with her in return. He would attempt other methods, a trip for all his companions to relax to relieve the tension of the last few days and maybe ease Laura out of relentless strain the starvation had put on her body. He would work with her to set up a proper nutritional regimen and coupled with his own remedies, it just might be more effective. Otherwise….he shook his head, taking a bottle of pills out of his cabinet that to him were rather pungent. He gave a brief sigh. One step at a time. Today a major stride had been made and he was now more determined to work with both the girls that were in his custody. Laura wrinkled her nose at the smell since it reminded her strongly of onions for which she wasn't tremendously fond of. He dropped one of the white tablets in her hand and she looked at him in disbelief. "Just one?"

"One is all that it should take. Cures blood clots. For this, shouldn't be an issue." He said, handing her a glass of water. Remedying concussions was hardly a challenge, he knew.

She nodded briefly and swallowed the tablet. Within a few minutes, she was astonished to find her headache entirely dissipating and she reached her hand to her temple. "Strange. So fast. It's gone…I can't believe it. It's just gone." There were still lingering doubts that this was a permanent solution.

He gave her a smile. "You see, I kept my promise. I just need you to ask when you need help."

"I…" She started. "It's just, well, being ripped away from everything we knew. I felt so trapped, like it was happening all over again. I couldn't help it, the story I wrote, the character I created, Sara, she became pretty lifelike to me" She sighed. "I know she's just fiction and all but writing it and then my memories when I saw you…" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly.

Again, she felt his hand on her shoulder. "And none of that was your fault. You know you're not being punished and you being here is not getting what you deserve." In time, he would have to fully explain to her what her story meant and the kind of people she and Honor came from. He would have to tell her that Sara wasn't fiction and that Laura likely from her previous trauma had managed to pick up on her timeline in an alternate universe. This would also need to be discussed with Honor. He hadn't read her story yet but they were backed up to the TARDIS mainframe and he would prefer to have her permission. It would make this conversation far easier. He knew the fear it would cause and their existence had tremendous ramifications. Unless by some rare happenstance he found them a way home, they could never leave his supervision. At some point, they would need to be told and he sighed, not relishing the task.

"I don't know why else I'm here." Laura said and then she was startled to feel someone else nearby. A distinct presence. A glimmer of something touching her shoulder and briefly a reassuring calm as she saw a distinct flicker out of the corner of her eye. Someone familiar but someone that she equated a creation of her own mind. "Sara." She whispered.

Then, she was gone as Laura was left with some odd sense of comfort while the Doctor seemed to stare at her. "Sorry? What did you say?" Oh, he heard it with clarity but he too sensed something unusual in the medbay.

Laura could only blink at him. "Just thought for a moment I saw someone I knew." Maybe somehow the Doctor would find them a way home and in the interim, Laura didn't feel quite so alone. What else was there? She glanced around the room.

"What do you say we find Honor and get a bit of some fresh air?" Admittedly, he felt a sensation to that reminded him a bit of home and now it seemed to resonate more strongly as he inhaled. The energy radiating off Laura was almost nostalgic and refreshing to such a degree that it suddenly filled him with a preponderance of hope. For some reason, he was briefly reminded once again of Rose as though she had merely walked past him through the room. He could smell the very current she left and he smiled briefly knowing somehow that no matter how lost she was to him, she could always bring him light in the depths of his despair.

Laura gave him a nod as she took his extended hand, leading her out of the medbay. She briefly glanced behind her and then gave herself a brief shake. _It can't be._

But now more then ever, she needed to speak with Honor and see what had transpired while she was with the Doctor. She had the distinct impression that somehow, their fates were irrevocably entwined.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Honor Rae sat in the rose garden, unable to break herself out of the daze she sat in. It was happening again. Every time she went more than a day or two without much sleep, she started hallucinating. It wasn't much, mind you, just finding what looked to be impressions of words on hard surfaces. The only times it occurred was at school during finals and on the way back home to her bed while restless with fatigue. She thought she saw…she shook her head. She could have sworn she had seen Sara just out of the corner of her eye. Nothing was there however when she turned.

Sometimes she wondered if she only just got closer that she could actually _read_ the fuzzy word shadows and maybe-

She jolted back to awareness when her head knocked against the nearby trellis, _hard_. Cursing under her breath, she shook head and became relatively alert once more. The nightmares had been getting worse lately and she wondered if she was going to end up like Penny, half crazy and seeing things that weren't there. Well, the word shadows didn't count, not really. Honor Rae was thinking more along the lines of actual _visions_.

And, maybe, that's what they were, her nightmares. Having met Penny in her dream was seriously weird, especially since this time she had now seen the Doctor's mother. The warning she gave sent chills down the red head's spine. '_Tread lightly_.'

Just those two words. Tread lightly.

Honor had already been extremely paranoid since coming here, but the dreams were now amplifying that paranoia to an almost unbearable level. She could do without sleep, _really_.

She couldn't even convince herself of the previous statement's validity.

What she needed was an apple or just apple juice. Its natural components worked far better than coffee did in keeping a person alert. Apples seemed like a good idea to Honor, so she got up and began to make her way out of the garden when she heard her name being called. She turned around to see Laura approaching her with the Doctor, a big surprise to her but a pleasant one. _Great, it looks like they're getting along. Maybe we'll all finally have some progress with each other_, the sleep-deprived girl thought with a smile, greeting the two of them. '_They can help me stay awake…neither of them look like they'll be going to bed anytime soon_.'

"Where did you hide the hard drive?" Laura asked her, startling Honor. She didn't look distressed nor did it seem that the Doctor was doing any crazy, voice magic, hypnotist trick either.

Cautiously, she answered, "By the gazebo, why?"

"We…We need to talk, I have to tell you something. We both do." She seemed the slightest bit anxious which worried Honor, the last bit of drowsiness swept away for the moment. Suspiciously, her gaze trailed over to the Time Lord who seemed resigned to the pointed look he was getting.

"We can talk and walk," the red head assured her friend as she went about-face and started on the path that led to the hiding place she had chosen. "What's up?" Laura appeared to be struggling how to explain the next bit and apprehensive as to how Honor would receive it. "Just tell me," she coaxed. "It'll be easier if you just say it quickly, like a Band-Aid."

"I…the Doctor believes us now about his life being a TV show," came the rushed answer.

The teen blinked, "Ain't that a good thing?"

"Well," the Doctor interjected. "Yes…and no. I may have been mistaken about my initial theory of psionic resonance. However, this means you come from a universe where humans to a degree are capable of picking up certain timelines, which in turn is very dangerous. I can't let any evidence of this fall into the wrong hands, so I was forced to destroy most of Laura's devices to ensure the safety between the two dimensions. Mine and yours."

Honor Rae stopped walking and turned to stare between the two people following her for a long time as the meaning of her words slowly clicked into place. The moment it did, she clenched her teeth. "You did…_what?_"

Laura stopped too, seeing how the news was affecting her friend's emotions. "He had to destroy my laptop, iPad, and iPhone. I didn't like it either but the episodes of 'Doctor Who' on there could-"

Honor Rae shook, seething, "You didn't. I told you, I fucking _told_ you, and then you go and do something like this." Laura recoiled slightly, surprised at both the ferocity in her friend's voice and the unexpected cursing. It wasn't really the swear word itself but, rather, the fact that Honor, a person who usually it was now using it so blatantly.

The Doctor, however, steeled himself mentally against the onslaught, wondering if the same anger that brought out Laura's past would do the same for Honor. "Wait a minute," He started.

"Honor, calm down!" Laura exclaimed. "It's fine, we worked it out and-"

"Fine?" She repeated incredulously turning to her friend. "How is this 'fine'? He destroyed your property! Something that belonged to you from home and he just decided to take it away from you! No one should do that to someone!"

"It's just technology, It can…it can be replaced," Laura offered weakly. She still felt distressed by the loss and she didn't desire the perpetual reminder.

"Does it really mean that little to you?" Honor asked, voice a mixture between still fuming anger, puzzlement, and the smallest bit of pain. "I thought you'd be more upset about a violation like this, why am I more angry than you are? They belonged to you and he just took them away, like he…like he…" Words seemed to fail the younger girl.

"Like he what?" Laura gently prodded.

"Like he retains the right to decide what you deserve to own and what you don't," Honor Rae answered. "As if thinks that he's a deity of some kind and owns you, making everything you call yours is actually his to do what he feels like with…Without so much as a 'by your leave.'"

Laura breathed in sharply at those words and then glanced away, wrapping her hand tightly around her wrist. She looked back at Honor with sorrow in her eyes.

"An extreme reaction for a few pieces of technology that weren't yours, Honor. Is this directed at me or is there someone else you have on your mind?" The Doctor gazed at her astutely, having a feeling that Honor's anger was being redirected towards him.

"…my step-dad," she admitted. "It's just, this makes me so mad, because you're pullin' the same crap that Tai would pull! I…I…" She appeared to struggle with herself before making a decision. "Alright, may sound stupid to you but…I used to have a lot of stuffed animals. They covered half my bed and I've had 'em for years. Some I had as a baby and the others I just got over time. Most of them I got from my grandma and grandpa as presents or souvenirs from trips I had with them. They…They all meant something to me, sentimental value, you know? Sounds kind of lame that a girl my age would sleep with stuffed animals, but I did. Then he'd gotten this idea in his head, I guess I made 'im angry with me or he just got into one of his moods…" Honor fidgeted and rubbed her eyes as they became moist.

"He told me that it was time to grow up 'n' act my age, grabbed all my animals off the bed and threw 'em in the trash. I waited until everyone went to bed and dug 'em out of there and stuffed them in my closet until the next day. After he went to work I washed every one of them, disinfected 'em, and replaced them on the bed. Oh, he got so mad when he got home, but I didn't care. Every time he tried to get rid of 'em, I'd go get them and clean them up again. Eventually, I think Mama told 'im to cut it out, but I was grounded for it for a while instead. I really…"

Honor hesitated for a moment, looking uncertain but plowed forward, "I kind of hated him sometimes." She was quick to add, "_Not all the time_, but sometimes. I dislike him and got no respect for him, to be sure, don't get me wrong on that. But he'd just make me so mad I would cry and then just cry in general. He could be a bully when he wanted to, fancied himself the boss of everyone, because he was bigger than us and stronger than us. When you pull something like this, Doctor, making a person feel powerless by trappin' 'em in hallways or pullin' crap like destroying property, I can't help but get upset."

The red head simply breathed hard for a moment or two before her anger starting dissolving away, merely only simmering instead of raging. She further explained, "Look, for someone to just go and violate something precious to you like that, the only stuff you've got from home…I mean, couldn't you have done something differently? It makes me mad, 'cause couldn't you've just got rid of the episodes, save the okay files on a flash drive and then wipe the memory or something? You're a smart cookie, there must've been something else you could've done, anything! And you just…how are you not bothered by this, Laura? By the Doctor just doing that?"

"Because it's not worth it and I understand a bit," Laura answered earnestly. "It's not simple just removing the episodes. Nothing in irretrievable. Learned that much in my media studies classes and all my equipment was linked together, having access to the same stuff. Once in range with wi-fi, it can get backed up to the digital cloud. If the Doctor could restore it, imagine…." Laura paused with a shudder. "The things he destroyed, they were just items I bought for school. He backed up everything important to me onto the TARDIS mainframe. He didn't destroy my iPod, which was the only gift I received from my family out of everything but it never went online. It only has music on it so it's completely harmless, and fortunately because of my laziness for not even doing software updates, it's safe. That is what matters. He promised me he'll replace everything else and if I'm really honest, I'd rather have my family alive and safe. No laptop or iPad is worth more than their lives, right?"

"No, you're right, nothing's worth more than family and friends," Honor agreed. "But…how could the episodes harm them? I don't understand."

"If anyone found out about the episodes, about 'Doctor Who', like say, the daleks…" Both girls shuddered, and the Doctor knew he had successfully gathered both of their attention. "And he thought that there was a universe full of humans like the two you who knew about 'Doctor Who'…who knew about me and the future of this universe. He would do anything to try to go there, people would die be sold off to the highest bidder. Honor, their life would become living hell if they hadn't died already. This is only the best case scenario, assuming that neither universes fell into the void."

The teen shivered, face a pale white, as her imagination went rampant with this new information. She felt sick, memories of the scenes she wrote with Penny being in the void flashes through quickly, goose bumps developing on her skin.. "I…We need to find that hard drive." The three of them resumed walking once more. "I didn't think, didn't realize what we knew could be so…" She stopped walking, the warning now making so much sense, painfully clear to her now. "'Tread carefully,'" she quoted. "We need to 'tread carefully.'"

Laura stopped as well and look behind at her distracted friend. "Yes…" she agreed cautiously. "Honor, are you alright?"

The Minnesotan shook her head, trying to clear it. "Fine, fine, just…tired." Without further comment, she pushed forward and made the rest of the trip to the gazebo, where she reached under a light yellow rose bush. Wordlessly, she walked over to her friend, passing the Doctor directly, and held out the hard drive for her to take. When Laura tried to pull the device out of her hand, however, Honor held fast. "Just…tell me something," Honor pleaded.

"What?"

"You're not upset? You forgive him? I need to know."

"I…" Laura fell silent, collecting her thoughts. "I'm…fine, I guess. I understand his perspective and I suppose…I think I can start forgiving him for this, because I understand how it was necessary. I'll be okay. I've made a deal with him too, to be honest. I'm going to give him a chance."

Honor Rae absorbed this before nodding to herself, letting go of the hard drive. "Alright, if you're...if you're sure your fine and that you're working this out with him...I guess I don't have the right to hold a grudge against 'im either. You did say he'd replace the laptop right?" At Laura's nod, she turned to the Time Lord. "Well, I guess the moment you do that, I'll call us square and forget it happened." She gave a small smile, cracking a joke with a weak laugh. "Shouldn't be too hard with my faulty memory."

The Doctor frowned briefly at the last comment but decided to let it go. Obviously, both girls required a certain amount of therapy but that could wait. They had indeed made large strides in terms of progress with him, and it was time for the three of them to have a break from the constant tension, which they struggled with the past few days.

This stress wasn't doing anyone any favors.

After backing up the inconsequential material and then melting the hard drive, the Doctor directed the two young women to wardrobe before meeting with them in the console room. Laura had filled Honor in on the idea of going on a trip while they decided on a change of outfits, and the red head was currently thinking quietly to herself. Laura had suggested one of the original showings of a musical, and that brought memories of being with her grandparents while watching one on film with them. Honor remembered how her grandpa had commented that 'Miss Saigon' was his indeed his favorite musical. He would have loved the chance to see it live and now it seemed only appropriate that she would go in his name to an actual showing.

"How about…'Miss Saigon'? I've never seen it before and have been meaning to get to it at some point. Is that okay?"

Laura's eyes lit up at the mention of the musical. "Yes! Can we? Oh, that's one my favorites! I know for a fact that Miss Saigon premiered at the Theatre Royale on September 1989 in London."

The Doctor grinned crookedly at the two of them, "Can do. Now that's one I haven't seen myself yet. Heard that it was brilliant. Hold on." With the flick of a few switches, a pull of a lever, and the pushing of buttons, the TARDIS was sent hurtling through the time vortex. The turbulence had been expected yet both girls found themselves grabbing onto the railing. Laura still found herself a bit nervous since the TARDIS reminded her a bit of being on an airplane and she often did have a fear of flying.

Privately, Honor Rae thought to herself that the said railing was a lot sturdier than it looked.

The jolting motion reminded her of a mix between being on a bumpy haystack ride and going fast on a jet boat, otherwise known as a sea-doo. She was rather thankful that she usually had an iron stomach and wasn't prone to motion sickness of any kind for the most part.

The Doctor started the re-materialization sequence and, with the characteristic 'thump' that signified their arrival, he gestured broadly to the door, evidently pleased with himself and wanting dearly to show off. Exchanging a look between themselves, the girls smiled at each other before hastily making an exit onto the busy London street. It was evident that they were not the only ones looking forward to seeing the forthcoming musical.

Laura paused momentarily, glancing at Honor. "What about Martha? Where is she?"

"She's just unpacking and putting her room in order. Not a fan of musicals. Not to worry. She'll join us when we return." The Doctor called out behind them.

The Doctor exited the TARDIS behind them and locked the door. "So! It's the twentieth of September in 1989, as promised, with Drury lane only a short walk away. We have some time before the show starts, perfect time to find our seats. _Allons-y_, you two." Honor Rae could've sworn she saw a smirk before the Doctor strode ahead of them. He was clearly poking fun at Laura's rant for his little catch phrase. They all knew it, really. Laura only huffed at the prod and rolled her eyes.

The red head made sure to keep the Time Lord in sight, not wanting to get lost, especially in a completely different time period. _Although_, she reflected. _In hindsight, that likely won't happen, he'll probably find me pretty quick, Laura too, if the three of us got separated_. Still, she wasn't keen of the inevitable panic that she always felt when separated from her group, it always made her stressed out and on edge for the entirety of said separation. Panic attacks, even well contained ones, were never fun at all.

A brief flash of psychic paper to the usher at alley next to the staff entrance, and they were allowed inside with little fuss. Hands deep in his pockets, the Doctor lectured them about the history of the Theatre Royale and the man who made it the blueprint for it, with a bit of the Doctor's guidance, of course. Honor Rae tried to pay attention, usually loving history of all respects, but felt her attention drifting and starting to fade off while walking, as the corridor they were taking echoed with only the sound of the Doctor's voice. She had to struggle to keep her eyes open.

This half-trance she was in shattered the moment the Time Lord opened a door to the theatre itself, letting in a large influx of sound. The sudden nature of the noise snapped the teen back into an alert state enough to catch the tail end of the monologue, "…and it was bad enough already with the constant interruptions. Still that fire, which was a complete accident, turned out all for the best, especially since you got _this_ as the result."

Laura absent-mindedly agreed as she took in the sight of the orchestra and Honor found herself in awe too. Her grandma would've loved to be here, she was always fond of architecture. She probably would've gotten a lot more out of the Doctor's lecture on the construction process than she would in comparison, even if she had tried to pay attention.

The place felt simply _massive_, reminding Honor of a layered jewelry box with the two receding balconies. She imagined it to be the size of a relatively small stadium, although she wasn't sure her comparison was accurate having not been in one in the first place. Box seats peppered up the side walls closest to the stage, which, was large enough in size to hold two tennis courts. The ceiling itself had a design that reminded her a bit of the eye from Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events,' except with three pupils that were chandeliers.

But it all looked bright and beautiful, and that was where it really counted in Honor Rae's humble opinion.

Feeling a rush of excitement to once more keep her tiredness at bay, Honor trotted down after the Doctor as he led them closer to the front seats where there was a section reserved for the press. With a wink, he gestured for them to choose a seat. The stage could be seen quite clearly from this position for which the Minnesotan was quite thankful as she neglected to wear her glasses, having never been one to wear them on a regular basis.

She let her eyes scan over the crowd as they began to fill in, content to merely people watch. She was faintly reminded when she went to watch ballet with her grandparents, with Swan Lake and the Nutcracker being the most fresh within her mind. She briefly wondered if there would be dancing in 'Miss Saigon' as well as music referenced in the program.

The lights began to dim, signaling that the musical would soon begin. Honor exchanged grins with Laura before looking toward the stage. Eventually, the lights dimmed completely and the musical began with the sounds of a helicopter…

The first act ended and there was a brief intermission. The lights turned on to reveal Honor quietly sobbing at the sad circumstances that the characters had found themselves in. Kim still in love and believing that Chris would come to rescue her and their son. Chris believing that Kim must be dead and married to Ellen, while a part of his heart still belonged to Kim. And then Kim having to kill Thuy to protect her son, Tam.

It was a bit too much, especially when she had her heart set on both Chris and Kim being married and happy in America.

Laura got up and excused herself to go to the restroom before quickly making an exit. The Doctor offered Honor a tissue, which she gratefully took with a small, "Thanks." She wiped her face and stuffed the tissue in her pocket. "Sorry, I always get sappy with stories like this, even if I watched show or read the book before, cry every time."

"Don't apologize for having a soft heart," the Doctor reassured her. "I cried when I read the seventh book of Harry Potter…repeatedly."

Honor grimaced, "That book made me so mad, 'specially since I had all my pairings set out into a neat little order: Harry 'n' Hermione, Ron 'n' Luna, and Neville 'n' Ginny. That's not even getting' into her killin' off Fred…Oh no, don't tell me they kill someone else off in this musical. They won't, will they?"

"I…Well, I haven't seen this before, truth be told." the Time Lord admitted. "First time for me."

"Have a bad feeling they will." Honor Rae moaned. "No, I don't think my feelings will be able to bare it. This is as bad as when they killed off Mathew Crawley in 'Downton Abbey.'"

"'Downton Abbey?'"

"Erm, it's like this historical fiction TV show, like a…a soap opera involvin' both the Crawley family and their servants. It took place before the first world ward and then after that world war, I think. You can't help but watch it. My grandma loved that show. I watched some of it and thought it was pretty good. Mathew Crawley was the heir who died in a car accident."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully as he looked to where Laura had disappeared. Honor followed his gaze. "Don't worry. I know she'll be back. This is her favorite and she was going on about the original cast so-"

"Oh, I know. I just need to be sure she's not feeling sick again." He prepared another vial just in case but he didn't relish using it unless it was for emergencies.

Honor Rae frowned. "That's…not good. Is it 'cause she hasn't been eatin' much?"

"Yes, but I believe that hunger strike of hers might have just come to an end…" The Time Lord absent-mindedly informed the teen before turning back to face her. "Do you know anywhere she might like to eat? The way she navigated you both around the underground, I know she's been in London before."

"Well…There's this place, can't think of how to pronounce it for the life of me, Orange-ry? Oranger-y? …O-r-a-n-g-e-r-y, it's one of her favorite places to go for tea as well as this restaurant called Rules. That's all I can really think of at the top of my head."

"_Orangery_," the Doctor repeated. He continued, "Near Kensington Palace. Queen Anne's former greenhouse and Rules, one of the oldest restaurants in London. Sounds promising. We'll take her there, kick start her metabolism. Eventually help to get her weight back up." He smiled at Honor now feeling optimistic.

Conversation idled at that point, until Laura returned as Act II began to proceed and the audience fell silent.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Laura had been thrilled beyond measure to be able to see Lea Salonga debut as Kim in the very first showing of Miss Saigon. In a sense, she wished Sara could be with her from home to join her in this event considering they both loved the show. Everything else seemed to fade into the background when she heard 'Movie in My Mind' being performed with such a measure of forlornness that Laura knew all too well.

As the show continued to progress to Kim and Chris's eventual separation as Kim bent down on her knees before a dingy cot to sing "I Still Believe", she glanced at the Doctor whose expression betrayed a certain solemnity. She didn't doubt he was thinking of Rose that very moment and she wondered whether if picking 'Doomsday' for him to watch was in essence, pouring salt on a very open wound. Maybe she was the one that could be accused of cruelty. His eyes once again held that same very expression when he put his hand against the wall to feel Rose's presence on the other side and Laura shook her head briefly. He seemed to feel her gaze upon him and glanced over at her and Laura immediately looked away, taking a deep breath.

She could hear Honor sniffling beside her, already affected by the depth of the musical but Laura had previously seen it three times and was a bit more prepared for the emotional shifts it took. She had been eagerly anticipating the release of the movie until events had suddenly shifted and they found themselves here in this reality.

As soon as it was intermission, she excused herself to go to the restroom. The Doctor nodded, momentarily glancing at her with some concern before turning to Honor to offer a tissue. She sighed. Though they reached a concession to a certain degree, the fact remained, since she agreeably turned over the episodes, her knowledge of the Doctor's future wasn't eidetic. In writing her story, she had to consult scripts of each show and watch each episode in full detail. She nodded to herself as she pushed open the bathroom door. He, himself said they were not accurate enough to cause a problem and her memory was even less so. If time became altered or rewritten, or their knowledge became extinct, he would likely find there to be little reason to restrict them onboard the TARDIS.

She could on a certain level understand for now his need to monitor them and to make sure any danger was avoided but eventually, Laura knew on a practical level, the two of them would be considered burdensome to him. Honor was quite right in saying they weren't companion material and Laura fully agreed. If possible, she would resolve to stay out of every adventure that lay in front of them and any willing passenger eager to partake in that had to be….well, crazy. Or suicidal.

She grimaced in the stall feeling the lingering sensation of nausea, now wishing the Doctor had brought along a quantity of that bizarre looking tea, which eased it before. She took several deep breaths and poured water directly into her hands straight from the faucet, cupping it directly into her mouth. The queasiness eased and she felt a measure of relief as she looked in her purse for the leftover pounds from their attempt to escape resolving to buy a diet soda. Even if it was only a placebo effect, cola had a knack of alleviating an upset stomach and it was often given to her at home when she suffered from the stomach flu.

While at the concession stand she also bought a lemonade for Honor thinking of her previous offer for a lemonade slushie and then reflected on the Doctor's choice for beverages. Hot tea with sugar wasn't even being offered as a drink selection so instead she ordered a lime and soda for him remembering the preference from the book on her kindle app despite the fact it was now deleted.

When she returned, both Honor and the Doctor seemed downright relieved to see her and she smiled faintly before offering them the drinks. "What? Thought I would run off and miss the final act? This is Lea Salonga on stage! She's better then how I imagined and missing the finale….well that's just crazy."

"Not at all." The Doctor corrected. "Just you were gone a while. Everything alright?" He tried to keep his voice light.

"Yep." Laura beckoned to the drinks. "Kind of a long line to get these. Sorry."

"Oh, hey thanks!" Honor said, opening up the bottle of lemonade with enthusiasm.

"How did you…" The Doctor started, looking at the drink she picked out for him, noting it to be one of his favorites. Did the world they both come from know all his particular tastes and habits? Things that he kept the most private? What if…? He shook his head. No, he wouldn't think about that right now. This was one of the first kind gestures that Laura extended to him and regardless of the source, it was the thought that mattered.

She gave a faint grimace. "I'm sorry. It was in the book. You know…before you…." She shrugged. "I read it only to write my story but I really only retained a few personal things by memory. Two of your favorite drinks and the fact that you like chocolate."

Honor also looked briefly worried. "Most of it was on websites in our world. We really had no idea any of it…" She swallowed.

"It's alright." The Doctor said reassuringly. "Relax. It's fine. We are here to have fun." He glanced up at Laura, beckoning to the chair. "I appreciate it, so sit down and enjoy the rest of the show." He smiled at them both. "Just surprised me a bit was all."

Laura nodded and sat down hesitantly until she finally relaxed as the second act began. She felt chills to see 'Bui Doi' performed as the pictures of all the abandoned children left behind after the Vietnam War came into focus. _They are the children of dust. _She remembered from what her father had told her who was a veteran from that particular tragic event in US history. The children left behind by soldiers who didn't want them and a country who abhorred their presence. As the song so clearly stated, they truly didn't belong anywhere being divided between two warring nations but rejected so clearly an equally at the same time.

When Kim found out about Chris's wife, in desperation, she pleaded with her to take Kim's son with Ellen to America which Ellen refused saying it was impossible to separate a child from his mother. Kim had lost her temper, telling her that if Chris was to leave them behind, he would have to tell her that directly to her face, before running out leaving Ellen to face Chris when he returned to find his wife in despair.

Laura clenched her hands together as Kim, alone in her apartment in Bangkok said her final goodbye to her son in the song 'Sacred Bird' and she felt tears emerge at Kim's final pronouncement to the young child. '_My son, I'll give my life for you.' _She handed him a toy and drifted behind a curtain.

She could hear Honor voice a 'no' beside her and when the gunshot was heard, the audience gasped. The Doctor in turn also looked a bit aghast as Chris ran inside and swept Kim into his arms, holding onto her tightly, begging her not to die.

Laura and Honor could no longer suppress their abject weeping as Kim gazed up at him while weakly singing her last line.

'_How in one night have we come so far.' _It was a solemn reprisal of the very first love song they sang together and then Kim went limp in his arms as Chris held onto her, calling her name and then giving into sobs in complete desolation before the curtain closed.

The applause started as the actors came out to accept their accolades for their hard work and they received a firm standing ovation. Their premiere was a triumph that would lead the show into a decade of success but Laura could see that Honor was shaken by the ending. The Doctor clapped but she had the feeling that his eyes flitted to her on occasion looking indeed very serious and Laura began to wonder if she and Honor had made some mistake. Perhaps seeing the first performance of 'Phantom of the Opera' or 'Les Miserables' was a better choice. Maybe the characters of Chris and Kim mirrored his separation with Rose too greatly and caused him further grief. Was he angry at her?

"Weeeell, that wraps it up then, doesn't it?" The Doctor asked, forcing a grin. _This is Laura's favorite musical? Where the lead character kills herself? _It concerned him to a particular degree if this play was a role model for her thought patterns or behavior. He frowned as he led them out the door and back to the TARDIS.

"Is anything wrong?" Laura asked. Honor too looked worried.

"This is your favorite musical?" He affirmed.

"Well, one of three…wasn't it just-"

"Where the main character takes her own life?"

Laura looked at him, feeling perplexed. "It was about sacrifice. What she would do or give up for her own son. Isn't that what you got out of it?" She asked Honor.

"Yes." Honor was still struggling to wipe tears away. "I s'pose. Doesn't make it easier to watch. Don't really agree with Kim killing herself being Catholic and all. Suicide being a sin and all."

"Right, exactly. I would never do it but-"

"Just because of your faith." The Doctor realized.

"Oh no, not just because." Laura corrected. "Right now, faith is all we have and is what is keeping us together…it's…" She paused. "You didn't believe me." She looked at him. "You don't believe me when I say I don't want to die."

He sighed. "Laura, just-"

"I made that bargain with you." She told him evenly. "To tell you the truth. I listened to you even when I didn't want to." Laura took a deep breath. "At some point, you have to believe me too." With that, she walked back inside the doors of the TARDIS leaving Honor to give the Doctor a pointed expression in reminder to her words. _Trust is earned._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The Orangery?" Laura recognized the very place she and Beth went for tea despite the subtle changes, which she attributed to dimensional differences.

"Honor told me it's a favorite of yours." The Doctor was smiling. "Built by-"

"Queen Anne. Seventeenth Century. Used to be a greenhouse and then she converted it to her retreat to hold parties and have tea. Eventually was renovated and open to the public."

"Ever thought of teaching history?" The Doctor was a little impressed despite the fact that she had taken to interrupt him.

"Wouldn't pay the bills." Laura shrugged. "History was just a hobby of mine."

"Well, I'm excited." Martha interceded. "Lived in London all my life. Never had tea here once." She had returned to the TARDIS after bidding her family farewell and was only too delighted in sharing this pleasant outing with the other new passengers. She was relieved on her part that they seemed to be able to bear each other's company, which was a significant step in progress given that she had only been absent since the day prior.

"Me too. Never had a proper tea." Honor said. "Hear having high tea is sort of like having a meal?"

Laura glanced at her uneasily. "Yeah, I guess. With the tea you get sandwiches, scones, trifles and-"

"What's a trifle?"

"A bit like a cake but more delicate. Has layers of frosting in between. It's very sweet. I usually skip-"

"Weeeell, not this time. We're going to enjoy the full experience. Isn't that right, Honor?"

Honor was excited as they entered the expansive greenhouse, its ornate décor still preserved and she felt as thought she were indeed stepping into another time period without the assistance of the TARDIS.

"Absolutely." She was eager to try all of these delicacies that Laura had only started to mention and she looked at the tea trays, her eyes widening in delight. "Oh, it's beautiful. Almost to beautiful to eat…." She paused with a grin. "Almost."

Laura felt queasy once again as they sat down at a table. She had every intention of progressively eating again but she wondered if this was the right way to go about it. Would her stomach be able to handle it? She remembered the incident in the bathroom far too well but if she tried to decline…she gave a shudder. He might use an IV again. His words inferred that he wouldn't do it for now but he would still consider it an option. _What am I going to do?_

Martha was looking at her with a measure of pity. This was a difficult way to jumpstart someone back into eating after days of starvation. She was finishing her last year as a medical student but if it was her choice, she would start Laura on a simpler diet but perhaps the Doctor thought taking her to a place she considered a favorite would provide her a measure of comfort as she set about the task of taking in nutrients again.

They stared at the menu and when a server approached them, Laura was still looking at hers while Honor was examining the tea list.

Laura started to shake her head as the Doctor looked at her encouragingly. "I don't know if I can do this. It's too-"

"A difficult decision?" The voice was familiar and suddenly Laura looked up at the server and froze in outright horror.

"It can't be. You're not real. Not here. Just fiction. I know from…" Her words trailed. This was ridiculous. She was hallucinating. She remembered the episode from 'the Snowmen' when the Doctor dressed up in his very guise to confront the Great Intelligence.

"Have our paths already crossed?" The tone was nearly mocking and suddenly, Laura was on her feet, knocking over her chair and causing a vase to shatter to the floor as she dashed in the direction of the bathroom, desperate to shake away this delusion that befuddled her.

Honor had only barely looked up as Laura knocked over her chair while the Doctor and Martha looked on in confusion. _What's going on? What is she…_

She looked at the man in front of her as a sudden dread took hold while he righted the chair, then gave Honor a practiced smirk. "Someone should be by presently to attend to this." He said, indicating the fragments of the vase before turning and walking in the other direction.

Honor glanced down at the vase only briefly feeling her breath become short. _Oh my Lord. He looks exactly like…_Manifestations of what Laura and herself had previously written together flitted in front of her eyes and this person looked exactly as he appeared on the show, 'Sherlock'. _But it can't be. He's not…_She glanced up. In the space of under a second, he disappeared like he never existed and Honor was left tearing apart the napkin between her fingers in terror as the Doctor still eyed her perplexed. Was he just a manifestation? Something Laura and herself hallucinated together? Perhaps it was worse with their fears evident in there minds they had somehow revealed fiction into known reality. Or maybe-

Suddenly out the corner of her eye, she saw the very image of someone familiar running out of the restaurant and Honor let out a gasp. _Clara? _She felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach now having a true notion of what presence might have actually visited their table and therefore projected one of their deeper, innermost fears back unto them.

**Author's Note: Thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her written contribution and inspiration to our story. We hope to post far more frequent updates of this story and hope you'll like the connection. Thank you for the reviews.**


	5. Science and Progress

"We've got to go." Honor stood up. "Now!" She tore off through the restaurant, running after Laura. The Doctor and Martha stood up to follow.

"What was that about?" asked Martha.

"No idea," answered the Doctor. What had set them off? He paid for the meal, and they ran after his strange companions.

"Did you see him?!" Honor called to Laura. The Doctor could hear them.

Laura glanced back. "Hurry!" she shouted to her friend, leading the way.

It only took a few minutes to get back to the TARDIS. Laura and Honor stood gasping by the door. Their lungs hurt, and their legs screamed, while they waited for the Doctor and Martha. The Doctor reached the TARDIS door, and scrambled to get his key in the lock.

"What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Hurry up!" shouted Honor.

The Doctor pushed open the door, and the girls scrambled in. Martha finally caught up, and closed the doors behind her.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "I thought you liked that restaurant."

"Was it him?" Honor asked, looking at Laura.

She nodded. "He... He knew me... us. Oh Honor! He knew us."

Laura's words sank in. "But... But that's not right. He shouldn't exist. He's fiction!" objected Honor.

Laura waved toward the Time Lord. "So is the Doctor." She dropped to her knees, still gasping. She felt a wave of nausea, and covered her mouth. "The Doctor's not supposed to meet him for another 200 years," she added after dropping her hand.

"Four hundred," corrected Honor. "The "Snowman" episode was supposed to be four hundred years in his future."

"We've changed events," stated Laura. "He wouldn't have met him yet, because he never came here before."

"Oh!" Honor looked stricken. "We asked him to come here."

"If we hadn't asked, he would have met him in the past when he was supposed to."

Honor covered her mouth, and turned around, gripping her side. The Doctor and Martha watched with nervous curiosity. Honor turned back to Laura, dropping her hand.

"Do you think he wants us... like in that story you wrote... to make a weapon?"

"I'm more worried about the paradox we may have just created."

"Paradox?"

"The Doctor just met him in the future. Sort of the future. Which means he can't stop him in the past. How much more powerful will he be now? And what about Clara? How will they meet? He only met her because of the Great Intelligence. If he doesn't meet Clara, who will jump into his time stream? Who will tell him which TARDIS to steal from Gallifrey? Who will save his lives over and over again? Isn't that a paradox?" Laura's vision started to cloud.

"But she only had to do that because the Great Intelligence jumped into his time stream on Trensalore, right?

"I don't know! I don't know!"

Honor gripped the sides of her head with her palms. "It's too much." If they had changed one event so badly simply by being there, what other events had they changed. Honor thought about how she'd seen the Doctor's mother. "Tread lightly," she'd told her. If Honor was seeing that woman, wouldn't that mean Gallifrey was about to return? But that couldn't be happening yet. That wasn't supposed to happen until long after the Doctor had traveled with Donna. It wasn't supposed to happen until at least 200 years after the Daleks tried to destroy the multiverse with their reality bomb. "It's changing!" Honor squeezed her eyes closed, still gripping the sides of her head. "The time lines are changing."

"And it's our fault."

Honor dropped her hands and opened her eyes. She looked at Laura. "I'm scared."

"Just breathe." The Doctor's voice was soft and calm. He made eye contact with Honor. "Whatever is going on we'll handle it. Whatever your sensing, it's going to be alright. I'm right here. And I'll help." He walked over to Laura, and crouched down. "I'm going to give you another shot." He pulled the syringe from his pocket. "Is that alright?" He looked at her.

Whatever the girls had just sensed sounded pretty bad. He was more than a little concerned about the paradox they'd just mentioned. But he couldn't sense it. Maybe they were more sensitive than he was. Or maybe they were wrong. Or maybe it was simply something he could fix. Either way, he needed more information. And he needed his companions calm and alert to give him what they knew.

Laura nodded wearily as the Doctor took her arm and injected the solution into her vein. Honor attempted to do as the Doctor suggested, taking deep breaths to the point where she eventually calmed down. The fear still lingered, the very same dread that she felt upon waking from another nightmare. She wondered if all these unwanted dreams she received lately were warnings to a dire situations. 'Tread lightly' couldn't be interpreted into anything other than a particular threat of things to come.

Honor knew she was fighting an inevitable against her need for sleep and was therefore losing as her vision became blurred. The shadowy imprints of words seemed so much more tangible, nearly vibrating as they moved along the walls and floors of the TARDIS. "I…I need to sleep," she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. "Can't function right now." Honor Rae was throwing in the towel. This whole fiasco had drained her and it was all she could do not to just collapse where she stood on the floor.

Laura had to agree. She was duly exhausted and wanted nothing more then to lie down and forget the world around her. Personally, all she really wanted to do was to curl up in her sweats and reread 'Woman in White' while listening to 'Within Temptation' on her iPod, and pretend that nothing had happened…that she never saw….she shivered. After Honor had returned from her nap, then, they could put their heads together and think about what happened.

"Alright, get some rest," the Doctor relented, looking between the two girls with concern. His questions concerning the event at the Orangery would have to wait. His scans revealed no variances or potential paradoxes in the time stream. At this juncture, their strain might be skewing their perception of time causing misperceptions in their environment, perhaps from their attempts to rectify multiple different realities. At some point, they would require training so as not to perpetuate this confusion. "Some sleep would do the both of you some good." He turned to Laura. "I do need you to come to sickbay with me. You can rest there but I need to put you back on the IV." He caught Laura's reluctant expression as she started to shake her head, "Only for a little while, I promise. A few hours at most. It will help and then, perhaps you can try to eat."

Martha nodded, "Perhaps something a bit lighter than pastries. How does soup or oatmeal sound?"

Laura swallowed, offering a smile in gratitude to Martha. "Might be a bit better." She agreed that a simpler diet for now would be better than what the Orangery currently had to offer especially with her weak stomach. Laura had a feeling that heavy foods wouldn't sit well after having suffered self inflicted food deprivation.

The Doctor assisted Laura to her feet as Honor made her exit, lurching toward her bedroom. Laura managed to make the trip to the sickbay relatively unassisted thanks to the injection she received, taking a seat on one of the medbay beds as she watched the Doctor retrieving supplies from various cabinets around the room. She grimaced inwardly when he brought over the IV that had trapped her in this room only days before. She closed her eyes as deft fingers placed the needle under her skin while a setting on the screwdriver firmly attached the device to Laura's arm.

Laura tried to make herself comfortable regardless of the additional equipment that she was now attached to. When the Doctor brought out a machine that she had never seen before, she became apprehensive, and attempted to make a guess as she watched him manipulate the device, "That's the ADT, isn't it? What do you need it for?"

He was momentarily taken aback that she had garnered of the name of the machine that he was wheeling over to her bed but his frown quickly dissipated. "Just need to do a scan, real quick. Make sure that your body is maintaining homeostasis. See where your current electrolyte levels are at. I'll also be taking an in-depth look at your artron energy readings to be sure they are maintaining equilibrium. Won't hurt a bit."

"You don't need a blood test?" Laura glanced up at the glowing particles in the IV. "Are those nanites?" She remembered them all too clearly from her research into the TARDIS medbay.

"One question at a time." The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Blood tests can wait until after I finish my scans." He glanced at the IV. "And yep, nanites. Guess I don't need to ask how you know that. I read chapter four and five of 'Lost in Reality'. Pretty clever-"

"For a human." Laura muttered, remembering Nine's speech patterns from Amber's segments all too well.

"Nope." The Doctor said, popping the 'p'. "You could let me finish. It was just clever." He shook his head. "Mending beds, however." He grinned. "Nice idea. Wishful thinking though."

Laura smiled briefly. "Amber said she got the idea from toothpaste. She's so creative. I wish…." Her words trailed as she swallowed hard thinking of all she had left behind when she was torn away from her universe. Truly now as the community she created in Fanfiction, 'Ripped from Reality', that is where she found herself, ripped from everything she had ever known.

She was briefly startled from her thoughts when the Doctor took her hand, squeezing it as she glanced up at him. "I told you, I won't give up in trying to find you both a way home."

Laura glanced down. "You said it was nearly impossible. I'm not going to sit around and fool myself so…"

"Nearly doesn't mean never."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you. I mean, even, well….it means a lot."

He paused, examining her carefully. "Soooo, any chance you want to tell me what happened at the Orangery today?"

Laura gave a shiver. "I don't know. It should be impossible. He's fiction isn't he?" She took a deep breath. "Has to be fiction?"

"Who?" The Doctor pressed.

"Sherlock Holmes?" She looked up at him hopefully.

"Ah, the character created by Sir Conan Doyle?"

Laura closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. "Yes…I was afraid.."

"What does that have to do with what happened at the restaurant?" He pressed.

"The show, 'Sherlock', the waiter looked exactly like him. Acted like him too and I'm afraid we could of…" She paused. How could she tell the Doctor the details about 'The Snowmen' centuries before he was supposed to know?

"Could of what?" The Doctor had indeed seen the waiter but sensed nothing particularly wrong with the man. He appeared by all accounts human but the stranger hadn't lingered, likely mystified by Laura's sudden reaction.

"I don't know." Laura finished lamely. At this juncture, she didn't know what she and Honor had seen. Perhaps it was only an echo of the Great Intelligence casting an image back at her from her mind and Clara was there as she should have been having stepped into the Doctor's time stream to prevent the Great Intelligence from wreaking havoc. Yes, that conclusion sounded so much better. If that was indeed the case, the less the Doctor knew the better to prevent from any possible paradox. "I'm sorry, he just looked like…."

"Someone that frightened you both in your reality." The Doctor finished, giving a sigh of relief. It seemed to be nothing but a traumatic reaction to someone with a familiar face.

Laura was silent for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." She closed her eyes briefly attempting to put the incident out of her mind, hoping him merely to be an echo that was already resolved.

The Doctor in the interim continued his work with the ADT and true to his word, there was only a slight buzzing sensation, so faint it was indistinguishable. It was comparable to an x-ray being performed but in a more detailed degree. Several seconds later, the Doctor concluded the test and placed it back into its original position against the wall. He began typing on the keyboard directly on the table as he brought up the results provided by the scan. Humming quietly to himself, he studied the scans in front of him. Laura found herself reasonably annoyed that no explanation was forthcoming as to the details of what the ADT had found and resolved to find an answer.

"Weeeell, just as expected, your electrolyte levels have dipped far below average. Chloride is at eighty-six milliequivalents per liter. Magnesium is down at a whopping point nine milliequivalents and potassium at 2.7. Calcium is the closest to normal at 8.3 milliequivalents per liter." He frowned. "All in all, not where I would like them to be." He considered her for a moment. "A vegetable soup would be the best bet for a quick electrolyte boost. Tea will help your metabolism without putting undue stress on your cardio pulmonary system."

"I…well," Laura started. "I do happen to already drink a lot of tea." She offered weakly.

The Doctor nodded, glancing back down at the results. "Your artron levels have increased slightly by about 4.5 atto-omegas, which isn't that unusual. They tend to increase by about 1.5 atto-omegas anyway. Although…this signature looks familiar…"

"Signature?"

"Yes, bio-signature more specifically. All matter has its own unique bio-signature, every person, every species, every planet, galaxy, universe even…" The Doctor's voice trailed before letting out an exasperated groan. "Oh, sometimes I am so thick that I could just hit myself! This artron energy has a signature similar to that of your universe!"

Laura looked at him in confusion as she began to ponder the implications and the Doctor saw the expression on her face. "If you had the same amount of artron energy normal to humans in this universe before leaving your own gaining the residual from the void, you would have essentially gained 'blank artron energy,' energy without a specific dimensional signature. It should have stayed that way or adapted to this reality's composition…definitely not keep _any _traces of the universe you left behind. Picture it like having a cup of salt water and mixing it with an Olympic-sized swimming pool filled with fresh water. If you mixed the two, the amount of salt in that pool would be negligible, practically nonexistent." He paused briefly letting his explanation sink in.

"The fact that your artron energy kept its original signature implies that you, at least, had more than an average amount of artron energy in humans in this reality, around eight atto-omegas. If Honor's artron signature is the same as yours, it proves this theory of mine more concretely and if humans carry far larger amounts of artron energy… Not enough to be lethal, obviously, probably just under the amount where artron radiation becomes detrimental…Hmm, about, say, somewhere between 75 million and 50 million atto-omegas, _so_ around 62.5 million atto-omegas, if I had to guess." The Doctor blinked. "Blimey, that's a lot."

Laura stared at him perplexed. "I…still don't get it. What happens…_what does it mean_ if Honor's signature and mine match? I don't understand. And all this about humans having artron energy, _and a lot of it_, back home?"

"Oh, how to explain this?" The Doctor wondered out loud as he grabbed a chair and brought it next to Laura's bed before taking a seat. Agitatedly running his hand through his hair and causing it to stick up in disarray, the Time Lord carefully sorted through his thoughts and began to explain his theory in a way that was comprehensible. "I told you before that artron energy was like the little electrical pulse found in your body and I also told you have it is a temporal energy. What I didn't tell you, was how it is related to the psyche."

The Doctor pressed his lips together in thought and continued, "All humans have the potential to be psychic, and it usually manifests itself in your instinctive and impulsive nature, in your 'gut feelings,' if you will. This is caused by the small amount of artron energy naturally occurring in the human body which is connected to the vortex, being it is a time energy."

"Oh, like Gwyneth!" Laura exclaimed in realization. "She lived on top of the Cardiff rift and was exposed to it. I'm guessing that the artron radiation she received is what made her psychic?"

"Exactly, she had more exposure to the radiation and it integrated into her physiology so she had a more developed precognitive nature as a result. Basically, the more artron energy, the more sensitive to time and connected to the vortex a person can be. How this relates to your universe is that, as a whole, many humans have inherent artron energy that connects them to the vortex. Artron radiation can be carried and passed down in a human's DNA, which that alone in and of itself is a mystery. How humans in your dimension received that amount of temporal energy in the first place. If Honor's artron signature is the same as yours, then I can conclude the strong possibility that the majority of humans in your universe have a much higher energy level and that predisposes them to a subconscious connection to the vortex. It can't be tested or detected by your medical equipment if you don't know what you're looking for. Most humans on your planet are unaware of what makes them unique. What you and Honor are capable of alone.." The Doctor's expression was one of both pity and relief.

"What's that supposed to mean," Laura asked. "How are we unique?"

"With the amount of artron energy you naturally possess, your connection to the vortex is so much more intimate. You have the inherent ability to pick up time lines from other dimensions, other universes. I suspect it lies dormant within most humans there, usually becoming active when you're children, imagination running rampant and with minds so much more open in contrast to adulthood. After a certain age, when puberty begins, this window of opportunity, of intuitive knowledge, begins to close…Unless, of course, it is actively exercised."

Suddenly, the Doctor swiftly changed subjects, "You write a lot?"

Thrown by his question, Laura nodded. "Well, yes, told you before….my laptop…you read…" She bit her lip looking down, missing her computer now more then ever. He seemed to catch her pensive expression.

"I promise I'll make you a new one. Much better then the one you had. Today in fact. I'll make one for Honor too. How's that?"

She smiled briefly. "Honor would love that."

"So tell me, does Honor write too?"

"Well, yes. But what does this have to-"

"And reading, do you both read a lot? Enjoy day dreaming or exercising your mind creatively? Find it harder to do math or more logic-based problems? The right hemisphere of your brain stronger than your left?"

"Well, yeah, but how does this-"

"Then you're more receptive to the vortex, not withstanding the higher levels of artron energy you already carry," the Doctor concluded. "In your universe, humans who consistently exercise the right hemisphere of their brain, who are the creative thinkers…they are tapping into their ability to see timelines of other universes and dimensions. The amount of artron energy they carry would be significantly higher. What they write can be an actual timeline in another reality."

Laura started to laugh and the Doctor stared at her perplexed. "But all those bad fan fictions, that's just, oh God, I feel so bad for those characters." She clasped her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggles "…_Twilight_, of all things, might actually be real. Oh that is just frightening!"

The Doctor grimaced. "I didn't say _every_ writer was receptive to the vortex. This only holds true those that are carriers for higher amounts of artron in their DNA. In particular certain writers, I suspect have concepts that just won't go away, that don't develop on a whim, that linger in their dreams. Usually stories with too many plot holes that are left unfinished or completely abandoned don't have an accurate fix on the timelines for the dimension. Some are just warped to an author's desires rather than any actual path that universe did take."

Laura frowned. "So does that explain Steven Moffat?" She was thinking of all the plot holes for seasons five, six, seven and eight for Doctor Who. That didn't even take into account the plot holes in Sherlock. She shuddered briefly at the thought of the show, thinking of the possible visit from the Great Intelligence. _That form he took…_Oh, it was very unpleasant considering the very Sherlock Holmes Honor and Laura interpreted, enjoyed human experimentation and vivisection.

"Who is Steven Moffat?" The Doctor asked.

It seemed to be opening a can of worms. "A writer for a couple shows. He's known for leaving so many plot holes without bothering to explain a thing." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. So, you don't think a universe for Twilight really exists, right?"

"I s'pose there might be a universe _similar_ to Twilight. Maybe Bella dies or likely does the smart thing and runs the other direction. The probability of a universe's existence and the strength of the timeline envisioned multiplies when more then one human can sense the same timeline. They provide a theoretical confirmation by asserting numerous details of the reality in question."

"Sort of like finding external validity?" Laura was remembering the discussion from her media writing class. "Examining the effects of a study over time in a population…." Perhaps that class wasn't quite as dry as she initially thought since it went over the methods of experimentation and taking other individuals theories into account before presenting a conclusion.

"Yes, exactly. Interesting comparison. Since the show 'Doctor Who,' has been occurring for quite some time, being passed down from writer to writer…not to mention all the stories that splintered from the source, one main timeline seems to be acknowledged that you are now a part of." He grinned. "It's entirely possible that somewhere, sometime in your world, that you are another story written by a highly sensitive individual with high artron readings sensing your timeline in this dimension."

Laura grimaced at the idea but she couldn't dismiss the possibility; her mind had already wandered to Sara. She could have sworn that she had seen the other woman, heard her, felt her. It was all such a strange concept, something which she assumed to be of her own creation now turning out to be frighteningly real.

The Doctor stood up from his chair and began to collect the necessary supplies to extract a blood sample. "It is difficult to know what would cause this anomaly in humans. I mean, this big of an irregularity doesn't happen without an origin, a catalyst. Your blood should reveal a few answers. This is probably caused by a unique strand in your DNA, possibly the code that regulates the amount of artron produced had somehow gotten corrupted and your species as a whole merely adapted to it…Either way, time will tell."

"Like a mutation. You mentioned that before."

"Right. Certain damage done to the nucleotide sequence, which doesn't usually produce a discernable negative effect."

He wheeled over a tray and sterilized the crook of her elbow on Laura's left arm. The Time Lord picked up what appeared to resemble a glue gun, except there was a glass tube and the nozzle in exchange contained a needle. Laura immediately looked in the opposite direction. She wasn't squeamish about having her blood drawn but was never one to be fascinated about the particulars of the procedure. What she felt next was similar to getting a flu injection; a pin prick and a slight irritation from the intrusion into her flesh, but no other pain to speak of.

After a moment, the device was removed and her break in the skin cauterized. There wasn't even the slightest hint of a bruise left behind.

"Thank you," the Doctor said absently as he left her side, bringing the tray along with him. He carefully separated the samples into smaller test tubes while depositing a few into a machine, which began to make a whirling sound. He studied it while muttering to himself before he prepared another device he had nearby. Bemused, Laura watched him wearily as she leaned back against the pillow.

She was relieved when Martha entered the sickbay several minutes later, interrupting the tedium she had begun to feel. "Oh, thank God," Laura sighed. "He was beginning to drive me crazy with all that jargon. Hard to tell if the words are real or if he's just making them up as he goes along…just like when I was writing. Now I really can't understand a word of it."

Martha laughed, "Know the feeling. The worst part is when he says things that sound familiar, so you _think _you know what he's talking about and then it turns out to be something else entirely." She lifted the steaming mug in her hand towards Laura. "I brought you tea and soup…I didn't know how you took your tea, so I just added a small teaspoon of honey for a little sweetness."

Laura thanked her, eagerly taking the mug of tea into her hands and inhaling the rising steam with relish. "Oh, I love a good cup of tea."

Martha set the small bowl of soup on the bedside table and took the seat that the Doctor had previously occupied. "I can see that. I'm surprised, I thought most Americans preferred coffee."

"Not me. But true, many do. Coffee is way too strong for me. I can't say much for what people like in the mid-west where Honor lives having never been there, but I would guess they are coffee drinkers…Starbucks is everywhere you know…" Laura took a careful sip of her tea to both savor the flavor and avoid scalding her tongue. "So good. My favorite was Twinings or Tea Haven but this is great."

Martha smiled before pointedly nudging the bowl of soup closer to Laura. Taking the hint, Laura internally sighed in resignation before setting down the mug and replacing it with the bowl of soup.

Gingerly, she spooned a mouthful and swallowed it, thinking to her surprise that it was pretty good. Under Martha's careful eye, Laura consumed half of the soup before feeling her stomach begin to churn. Not wanting to lose the contents of this meager meal, she set the bowl aside and took deep breaths. Eventually, her stomach settled, but she decided not to touch the soup again, picking up the mug of tea instead, just holding it and appreciating the warmth seeping into her fingers. "Where did you learn to cook?" She asked.

"The food channel and many, many cook book recipes," Martha admitted. "Trial and error mostly…with more error than success when I first started. This was one recipe that I liked whenever I got sick. Never one for spicy food, no matter how much that it's supposed to clean up your sinuses. So, I found a soup recipe that didn't contain them. This one's gentle on the stomach and easy to digest, a plus in my book."

Laura nodded absently. "I can cook, but I don't really enjoy it. Well, actually, I liked cooking British recipes on occasion especially when I came home from vacation to London. Honor loves cooking, says it's a past-time of hers. I can already tell she's a natural."

Martha frowned, staring into space. "I wouldn't call my cooking a hobby, just a skill born out of necessity from living on your own and being sick of take-out." A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she eyed the Doctor speculatively. "I wonder if he can cook."

"Well…He knows how to make an omelet, at least," Laura offered, remembering how Eleven made what appeared to be a very tasty one in Craig's apartment. "He also claims to have invented Yorkshire pudding and the banana daiquiri among other things."

"You're joking," Martha choked, caught off-guard. "He _invented_ Yorkshire pudding?!" She then made a face. "…Somehow this doesn't surprise me now that I think about it, time travel."

Laura shrugged. "I wouldn't necessarily believe it. He could have been bragging. His own little personal code is, 'the Doctor always lies.'"

"Oi! You two over there. I heard that!"

Laura rolled her eyes and shook her head and Martha simply chuckled.

"Might have been an accident, too. Doesn't realize that it hasn't been invented yet and he just goes and makes it…turns out to be the inventor all along."

"I suppose. Being that he's over nine hundred years old. He came up with a remedy for all these people in New Earth that were simply diseased lab rats in minutes."

Martha nodded. "Sounds like him. He's got a good heart, but you have to wonder just how much he forgets over the years…"

"Oi!" The Doctor protested. "Are you calling me senile?"

"No," both women denied adamantly at the same time before turning to each other in surprise in order to stifle their laughter.

The Time Lord glanced at them with amusement and irritation all at the same time. "You try keeping terabytes of information directly in your mind and see how far you get in remembering the itty-bitty, little details."

"Don't worry, Doctor, we have no doubt in your amazing memory." Again both women giggled quietly to themselves, thoroughly amused, while the Doctor rolled his eyes and returned back to the task at hand.

The moment a still slightly sleepy-eyed Honor Rae entered the sickbay, she was accosted by an enthusiastically apprehensive Time Lord. "Wh-What?" She asked, baffled, as she was brought to stand in front of a large machine and instantly scanned.

The Minnesotan remained there, completely clueless, as the Doctor walked off, removing the machine and pouring over the results it produced. Martha and Laura seemed to be as equally perplexed over the Time Lord's actions but also annoyed, as they had to put up with his behavior for a while with no explanation forthcoming.

This was, in fact, an astute observation, as the only thing they managed out of the Time Lord was that he saw some impossible (even more so than usual) and he didn't want to relay the information lest it was a fluke or miscalculation on his part. The Doctor had _Martha_ draw a second sample of Laura's blood and place it into the processor, so that there would be no mistake in terms of cross contamination. He impatiently paced and rechecking his original samples while he waited for the new analysis to be completed.

The moment he got the same results, it took all his self-restraint not to drag Honor into the vicinity to see if her blood would provide the same conclusions, assuming that her artron energy's bio-signature was the same as Laura's. He had seen the symptoms of sleep deprivation that she was presently suffering from. If she didn't voluntarily go to bed, he likely would have been forced to administer a sedative to help her sleep.

He didn't waste any time the moment she_ did_ enter sickbay of her own volition and then he garnered confirmation that their bio-signatures were indeed a match.

Honor Rae was bleary eyed, having just woken up, her mind still clinging to the edges of sleep, and, therefore didn't flinch or react when the Doctor had Martha, once again, be the one to quickly and efficiently extract a blood sample from her.

Several moments later, the Doctor once again double checked the results and came to the same conclusion evidentially displayed in _all_ of the blood samples he had taken. He now had the very proof he needed. With mixed feelings, the Time Lord turned to face the three women who were staring at him, waiting for an explanation.

"The two of you, your world is full of surprises." The Doctor said finally.

"'Full of surprises,'" Laura repeated. "Sounds like a nice way to say that we did something wrong."

"_Well_, no, not really." He replied hastily. "The DNA results will require me to trace the original genotype to see if I can localize the original carrier host that enabled certain alleles-"

"Sorry?" Laura stared at him in downright confusion while Honor struggled to understand from her various biology and chemistry classes she had only just began.

"You know about dominant and recessive traits in heredity?"

"Yes, a bit. I took a class on Physical Anthropology." Laura said. "Dominant traits are like having brown eyes instead of blue which is recessive."

"Artron energy is a genetic trait within your DNA. While I have yet to isolate the catalyst, it has been passed down from generation to generation. Because of your original Artron bio-signature, those traits you inherited are from dominant alleles. What I termed as mutation or damage to your DNA nucleotide sequence is in fact a residual triple helix pattern. The remainder of one, at any rate. Humans in your universe would have discounted this as minute damage, which would have no pronounced physiological effect but comparing both your results, the markings are unmistakable."

"Unmistakable to what?" Honor asked.

"Time Lord TNA, that is what you carry. Genetic markers from Gallifrey written off as a simple mutation. The artron tells another story. Now-"

"But that's impossible." Honor countered. "It was just fiction in our world. A show. How could…?"

"You know it's not just a story now, don't you?" The Time Lord challenged and Honor sighed. The Doctor looked at Laura. "I know you think Sara is fiction but you felt her presence just the other day, didn't you?"

"How did you…?"

"I can sense the changes, the ripples in time. You picked up on her timeline. _Two_ alternate timelines, in fact. You sensed her presence, the shifts she had on this reality. It is a trait of the Time Lords."

"But we're not Time Lords." Honor stated emphatically.

"No, but you have ancestral chromosomes passed down through the generations. I would wager that you and Laura have a more direct lineage, considering the amount of the original artron bio-signature. While many humans in your world yield a decent amount on their own, the rate your cells replicate as well as the sheer quantities suggest a straight line of descendancy."

"This is…" Laura's voice started to fade. She felt overwhelmed. "But how?"

"I can theorize only without further study." He told her. "Best guess, before the time war, Time Lords were explorers. We had the ability to travel to other dimensions quite easily." He shook his head sadly, briefly thinking of Rose. "But now that's lost to us. Gone with Gallifrey."

"Yeah, I know, I…" Laura caught his look. "Research." She finished lamely.

"It's possible some Time Lords came to your universe. Before the war, many of us weren't so…" His voice trailed. There were so many adjectives that would fit this description. Violent, corrupt, ruthless and, well, on some level, the notion in and of itself if the implications of the danger wasn't so vast was a pleasant one. Time Lords exploring just like he was doing now, finding fascinating what lay within remote corners of the universe and untouched dimensions.

It must have been several centuries before even preceding his birth on Gallifrey. That meant Laura and Honor were distant descendants from his species he had long since thought lost to him. Many of the humans on their planet likely also came from the Time Lord family tree. At that point, conception didn't require a loom and humans could reproduce before the war and genetic manipulation took its toll.

Despite how the girls tested his limits, he was now grateful he had them aboard. They were the closest remnants to his people that he had although the cost to them…he grimaced. Like him, they had lost everything and being torn from their world had put definitive strain on their sanity.

"It will take further study." He told them. "But I have what I need. Think it's about time that you two should rest."

Honor frowned. She had woken abruptly from a nightmare and had no desire to return to it. "If it's all the same, I think I'll just go to the library and-"

"You're suffering acute sleep deprivation so I'm afraid it's not all the same, Honor." He looked at her introspectively. "Bad dreams?"

Honor felt uncomfortable. "Kind of. Just hard to shake."

"You can just tell me. C'mon." He gestured her over to a door that was part of the medbay, opening it and Honor glanced inside, instantly surmising the room's purpose.

"A sleep room? Get out! It's really true? The neural dampener? You have one?"

"You know about sleep rooms?" The Doctor inquired, then remembered. "Laura's story."

"It's on this website back at home so…" Her voice trailed. "Doesn't quite look the same as she described."

The actual sleep room was rather unremarkable with unassuming white walls that surrounded the medbay bed in the center. Still to actually see it was an intriguing experience for Honor.

"If you just lay down." The Doctor suggested, indicating the bed, which Honor did as the Doctor adjusted a monitor mounted on the wall. "Now, on setting eight-"

"I won't have any dreams," Honor yawned.

The Doctor sighed but allowed a smile. "Exactly." Almost as soon as he manipulated the device to the proper frequency, Honor was fast asleep and he glanced down at her, satisfied that for now he had a remedy for her sleep deprivation. "Goodnight." He murmured to her before closing the door behind him and returning to Laura.

"Can I get off this thing now?" Laura protested.

"One minute." He double checked her electrolyte levels. Although somewhat improved, they were still nowhere near where he would like them to be and she hadn't managed to consume a feasible caloric intake. Her appetite was still radically suppressed, although, he did have a countermeasure that could work in slow increments during a rest period, which was a modified variation of Olanzapine altered with quetiapine, kept in limited supply from his home world. Together they would act as a sedative, and while he considered it an extreme measure, he now thought it a necessary one.

Perhaps it was the overabundance of artron energy fighting the human remedies he was using as intercession such as an overactive immune system fighting a foreign bacteria inside the body. This time, well, now he knew more about what he was dealing with. He was a bit more prepared. He began to ready a syringe.

"What are you doing?" Laura looked at him nervously.

He glanced back at her. "Laura, the methods I used, they just aren't working as well as I would like, but if I give you this, should take care of the nausea, loss of appetite…."

He saw her still look at the needle with trepidation and he sighed.

"There wouldn't be any more injections, no more IV's. Just this one time. That's it." He assured her.

"Will it hurt?" Laura asked.

"Absolutely not. It will make you sleep, but it seems like you could use that anyway."

"And no more injections after?" Laura asked.

"Shouldn't be the need." He offered. "I'm telling you the truth. We had a deal, remember?"

Laura took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Guess I am pretty tired." He approached her IV, ready to introduce the medicine directly into the solution. "You'll still make us those laptops right? Transfer everything else back on them?"

"They'll be ready for you two when you both wake up." He assured her.

She swallowed and clenched her hands together as he injected the drug. "So much for my writing diet." She joked.

"That's one diet I don't want to hear about again from either of you." The Doctor told her firmly.

Instantly, a wave of fatigue hit Laura and her eyelids felt heavy. "Was a joke." She managed to say.

She felt a blanket being pulled up and tucked around her. "Was never particularly funny." Laura heard him say before she sank into the depths of a deep, welcoming sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Right." The Doctor said as he handed Laura and Honor brand new laptops for which they were admiring. "As promised."

"But these," Laura started. "Apple didn't even have this in stores yet. Actual touch screens too. The memory capabilities…"

"Oh, you won't need an external drive again. Far more adaptive, renewable flash memory. Plenty of storage with far more to spare. Gave you different versions of your editing software. Didn't know which one you used before but-"

"Thank you!" Laura was ecstatic. She was more eager to lock herself back in her room and start sampling the new special effect features. "I have to go check this out and-"

"Hold on you two. Breakfast first. Have something else to give you three."

Honor was already tremendously excited about having a new laptop, the idea of getting something more was almost overwhelming. She had to fight to urge to cry from happiness. "This…I…This is mine? I get one too?"

"Well, _yes_, of course you do. Consider it a…welcoming gift as well as-"

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Unthinkingly, she gave the Doctor an exuberant hug with a whoop, before breaking away and punching the air. "Yes! Today…is a good day!"

The Time Lord blinked, surprised by the extremely intense reaction, having not expected that. Laura was amused as she watched her friend seem to vibrate with excitement. She was reminded when the red head had gotten them both ready for the party, the same thrill and simple delight.

"So, so, does this have internet? Can it go online?" Honor pestered, squeezing the laptop close to her person as if worried someone might take it from her.

"Oh yes, universal roaming." He paused. "Or should I say universal wireless. I built in an internal modem. Should work from anywhere we go." He pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "Now all of you, kitchens."

They made their way there and Honor eventually reined in her enthusiasm, glancing at Laura. "So?"

"So what?" Laura responded.

"Did whatever cocktail he gave you work?"

Laura shrugged. "I guess we'll see." She paused. "Still think I should keep it simple. Maybe oatmeal for now."

"That's alright." Martha assented. "Oatmeal is a great way to start the day. Have it myself now and then."

Upon entering the galley, they got to work and Laura began the progress of making her ritual tea for the three companions in the room.

"You're quite good at that." Martha complemented.

"When I left London, I missed it so eventually I wanted to learn how to make British tea as they did here." Laura gave a brief smile. "Careful what you wish for, huh?"

"No way you could of known this could have happened." Martha said as she stirred a vat of oatmeal in a large pot. "Student right? You wanted to come back?"

"I was applying to study abroad in Norwich to finish my last semester and maybe get an internship at the BBC."

"You would have loved it. Norwich is just beautiful. Small town. One of the safest in England. Maybe the Doctor can take us there sometime."

"Where's Norwich?" Honor asked.

"East Anglia." Martha explained and when Honor looked at her blankly, Martha continued. "It's near Yorkshire, two hours south from London."

They proceeded to eat the oatmeal and to Laura's surprise she managed to consume a substantial amount as the chatter proceeded yet a half an hour later, her stomach was seized in sudden pain. She wrapped her arms around it, taking deep breaths, hardly able to speak. She knew what this was, having seen the signs before.

"The oatmeal." She started. "What was in it."

"Well, some sliced bananas for potassium, a little brown sugar and some soy powder for additional protein-"

"Soy." Laura breathed in sharply. "I'm allergic to soy."

Martha froze. "Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't know. What should I-"

Laura shook her head. "Bathroom." She made it to her room, bolting the door behind her and into her bathroom, doing likewise. The contents of her stomach were swiftly evacuated and she flushed the toilet, leaning back against the wall. She mopped the perspiration from her forehead as she clutched her abdomen in the attempt to soothe it by rubbing it gently. "Sorry, won't do it again. Didn't know. Will make my own stuff now." Her stomach was still churning. "Please calm down…please…"

But she was back to heaving again and this time she saw spots of blood due to the stress and abhorrent reaction her body had to the soy.

"Laura!" She heard a banging on the door. It was Honor. How did she get inside?

"Can't come out now." She answered. She was too readily embarrassed. No one should see her like this.

"Laura!" It was Martha this time. "I got the Doctor. Open the door. Let him help. We just heard a distress signal and we're not leaving you here."

Nausea returned. Distress signal meant the episode '42'. No. None of that had to happen. Not if-

"Don't leave the TARDIS!" Laura protested. "Use the TARDIS to rescue the crew but the sun is an entity. The ship was stealing from it to get fuel. The sun wants it back. Let it have the ship. Just don't leave the TARDIS…don't…" She breathed hard as her stomach heaved. "So many people will die."

Honor immediately remembered the episode. "Burn with me." She repeated. "Laura's right. We can't leave the TARDIS. You can rescue the crew without leaving right? Materialize the ship around them? Once the ship is destroyed, no one has to die. Please you have to…" She shuddered. They had both looked at the episode right before all evidence of the show was destroyed.

The Doctor looked at Honor. "You're absolutely sure?"

Honor nodded. "Positive. Hated that episode. Like a horror movie. The people infected kept saying 'burn with me'. I don't want that to happen to me and we had that deal."

The Doctor took a deep breath and nodded, glancing at Martha. "Will you-?"

"Oh, I'll get Laura out of there. Not to worry. I'm determined."

He chuckled briefly. She was quite brilliant in terms of all his companions and a ready match for him. The friendship he had with her filled some of the emptiness he had in his hearts when Rose had been torn out of his life.

"Thank you, Martha. Something else I want to give you when this is all over." Without another word, he made haste to the console room. This would require precise calculations but he trusted his temporally precognitive companions and he smiled in reflection in thinking about Martha. It was about time to make her an official passenger and every companion of his eventually received a key to the TARDIS. A key to his home.

While Laura and Honor weren't able to make the same decision to come and go at will, he glanced at the cell phones that he had created, which were better models then the ones they had. "At least they get frequent flyer privileges." He muttered to himself. He modified Martha's already existing phone for universal roaming but knew it was best to keep future technology out of her hands when she visited home. Caution must always be exerted.

"Time for a little rescue mission." The Doctor said to himself as he maneuvered the dematerialization commands to precise entry adjustments. He was about to play host to several surprise visitors.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The first three were the simplest, having come running into the room next to the TARDIS, there was comparatively little manipulation he had to make to complete a small spatial jump. The Old Girl took some only some mere coaxing to materialize around the trio, but it was nothing he couldn't handle and the endeavor rewarded him with three sweaty but very shocked humans comprising of two men and a woman.

The younger man watched him with nervous blue-grey eyes partially obscured by damp brown hair. The bare beginnings of a beard dusted his handsome face and he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His slightly bigger than average frame, was comprised mostly of muscle obviously the result of a labor intensive job. He was looking at the other two for reassurance and explanation, drawing the Time Lord's attention to the other passengers he had on board.

The other man, older by maybe a few years, had a harried and stressed expression that grew more pronounced as he took in his surroundings. The tension lay heavy under his eyes and worry lines on his forehead grew more pronounced with each passing moment. He wracked his hand through his thinning brown hair leaving the front edges to stick up wildly for his efforts. Brown eyes and a downturned mouth glared suspiciously at the Doctor.

And finally, the woman, the one for all respects appeared to be the leader. Fists brought out in front of her lean form defensively as her blue eyes were quickly taking in the TARDIS. Her light reddish-brown hair limply hung around her face, heavy with perspiration from exposure to intense heat. At first glance, she appeared no younger than thirty. But a longer examination revealed an angular face with the rounding from youth, making her younger then she initially appeared. The Doctor amended his previous guess to mid-to-late twenties.

"Welcome aboard the TARDIS. We received your distress signal, consider it answered. How many more of your crew are onboard?" The Doctor asked lightly, hoping that his friendly attitude would ease the tension. The older man started to open his mouth, his glare still present, likely to level an accusation or demand when a panicked knock sounded on the door. "Oh…Get that would you?"

The young man hesitated but did as he was told, despite the looks he received from his other two crewmates. A young woman stumbled inside. "Are you alright? This box just formed around you and…and…" Her voice trailed as she took in the sight around her, gasping and dropping the device she was holding. "Wha-What? How is this possible?! It's…It's…It's bigger on the inside!"

"Yes, welcome abroad the TARDIS," the Doctor said hurriedly, not wanting to waste any time as he wasn't sure he comprehended entirely what Honor and Laura meant when they mentioned a sun infecting crewmates on the ship. "Any more of you?"

"Three," a woman with auburn hair answered only after a sort pause and the impatient look she received on behalf of her rescuer "Korwen, Ashton, and Abi. Who're you, police?"

He frowned. "Nooot exactly. I'm the Doctor and I received your distress signal and locked onto it…Alright, found three energy signatures. Now I just need to have the TARDIS lock on to them and reroute the sequence to temporary intangibility…spatial jump to coordinates sectored by this vessel…hmm…" He ignored the mutters and looks directed his way, explaining himself and his ship was simply not a priority to him at the moment.

"And there we are!" He pulled down several levels into place with a clunk delivering a truncated version of its usual groaning noise. The TARDIS began to rumble and jolt in a subdued version of its normal, bouncy jaunt however this was subject to change when he, one again, had manipulated the TARDIS to form around the three other, aforementioned, humans.

Of course, he didn't expect to see one of them thrashing and screaming in agony.

No, for him that was definitely unanticipated.

"What did you do to him?" The red head accused. "My husband! What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know!" The bald male defended vigorously. "He's been like this for some time now, went berserk and completely trashed the console. Then he just started yellin'!" The Doctor instantly left his console and began to usher his three newest passengers to the sickbay while the other four distrustfully and anxiously followed behind.

The apparent woman-in-charge continued to barrage her subordinate with questions, "What do you mean by went berserk and trashed the console? Korwin wouldn't do that, not to our ship!"

The bald man, obviously Ashton, insisted this was indeed the case, "Complete sabotage. He just went mad, put the ship into secure closure, and then set the heat pulse to melt the controls! I don't know what you could call that other than sabotage, McDonnell."

"I'm-I'm sorry, can't stop it, _argh_!"

"Korwin? It's me, Abi, can you hear me?" She only got screams in response. The group entered the sickbay, alarming Martha, Laura, and Honor who were already inside, having succeeded in coaxing Laura out of the confines of her bathroom. Laura and Honor's expressions changed to understanding, sympathy, and caution. Ashton and Abi managed to hold Korwin on the bed with the help of the other two crewmates while the Doctor scanned the Korwin with his sonic.

"What are you doing?" McDonnell demanded of the Doctor. "What is that?"

"Don't get too close," the Doctor snapped, tension filling his tone, before turning his gaze to his new patient. "Korwin? Korwin, can you open your eyes-"

"No, don't!" Honor suddenly screamed. "He's got the sun in 'im. Don't let 'im look at you. Don't let 'im open his eyes."

"What?" McDonnell asked. "What did you say?"

"I…" Honor hesitated. "You should've scanned it. The sun's alive."

"It's…It's inside of him," Laura added. "Parasite." She was lying on a medbay bed, attempting to keep the subsequent nausea at bay.

Suddenly, Korwin's thrashing intensified. "Martha! Sedative, third cabinet on the bottom shelf next to the monitor," the Doctor directed as he raced to the other side of the room, prepping what appeared to be a giant cabinet comprised entirely of metal. When he returned, Korwin had ceased thrashing, the sedative taking effect.

"Rising body temperature and unusual energy readings, we'll put him into the cellular regeneration vault and keep him sedated so he won't he won't harm himself or anyone else for that matter." With assistance from the crew, Korwin was carefully placed into the chamber as the Doctor wheeled the ADT directly to the side of the containment area, giving him clear access to his infected patient. "Initiating bioscan…"

After a moment the Doctor carefully closed the vault and sealed it, pressing a button to provide a secure stasis environment. Replacing the ADT, the Time Lord addressed McDonnell, "What type of vessel do you pilot?"

"A cargo ship, the Pentallian, nothing special."

The Doctor merely looked at her, saying flatly, "You and I both know that this isn't the case. This is your husband's life in the balance, what you say, or don't say, next could be the deciding factor on whether he lives or dies." There was an intense stare down between the Doctor and McDonnell, which was only broken by a beeping alert, drawing the Time Lord's attention from the woman.

"As I suspected," he declared. "The more time goes by, the more Korwin's homeostatic nexus destabilizes…His internal body temperature is beginning to edge towards one hundred degrees and all the oxygen in his body is beginning to be replaced with hydrogen…He's dying, the sun is possessing him. I'm doing the best I can in maintaining his body temperature, but once it passes a certain point, there's nothing more I can do. You, however, can tell me what you could have possibly done to direct that entity's wrath upon yourself and your crew."

There was a tense moment before McDonnell deflated, looking drawn and beaten. "I didn't know. I really didn't know." She started, shaking her head. "We were using energy scoops for fusion, due for an upgrade next docking. We had to do it quickly to avoid getting caught…so I didn't scan the sun. I didn't realize… It's all my fault. Not my crew, just me. Korwin's going to die and it's all my fault." Tears began to fill her eyes and she squeezed them shut, attempting to hide her pain as she nervously clasped her hands in front of her.

"Captain!" Sudden cries of protest were delivered from what appeared to be the three youngest members. The girl addressed as Abi looked at McDonnell nervously along with the younger man standing beside her. The remaining two men remained grimly silent, likely realizing the full repercussions of their decisions and the price they nearly had to pay.

The elder male spoke to the captain scathingly, "Don't be an idiot, Kath."

One of the woman gaped at him, "Scannell! You can't talk to the captain like that!"

"Shut it, Erina," Scannell snapped. "She is an idiot if she thinks that she's the only one to blame. I should have insisted that the energy scoops be switched out ages ago."

"He's right," Ashton agreed. "It's my fault too, because even if she didn't give the orders, I should've gone ahead and done a preemptive scan anyway."

"As the pilot," the final crew member spoke up. "I should have gone a shorter route or refused to drive unless the energy scoops were removed."

"I should have made sure that stress wouldn't cause you to make rash decisions. Done more in-depth check-ups," Abi added.

"I guess," Erina paused. "As the newbie, I should've asked Ashton why we weren't following protocol and running a complete scan."

"You…You can't be serious," McDonnell said weakly.

The Doctor smiled. "It appears so. You've got a good crew there. Taking responsibility with your captain for your actions committed. Question is, how are you going to fix it?" His expression turn grave. "You stole the sun's heart, it's _screaming_, and now it's trying to take yours in turn. Kill all of you in trade. You want Korwin and your ship, I s'pose…_So_, what does the sun want back in return?" He prompted.

The Doctor paused, clearly waiting for an answer. After a moment, he looked at them with annoyance, "The question wasn't rhetorical…"

The only unnamed crew member spoke hesitantly, "It's…heart?"

The Doctor snapped his fingers, pointing dramatically at the youth. "Give that man a star! Well, maybe not a _star_, per se, we saw how that went, a raise might be in order. You, clever cogs, what's your name?"

"Erm, Riley."

"Right, Riley!" He turned to the rest of the crew. "Riley has found the answer to your problem."

"I have?"

The Doctor ignored the question. "You give the sun back its heart, its energy that you used for fuel, it'll give you your ship and Korwin back. I don't know the Pentallion like you lot do, so for me doing this alone will take far too long. Who wants to help me?"

The whole crew straightened to attention as volunteers stepped forward stating, "I will," with fervency.

The Doctor grinned. "Brilliant! McDonnell, a moment. The rest of you can head towards the console, two lefts, a right, and another left." He had some choice words and advice that he needed to impart with the captain, but first…he approached his charge who was grimacing on the bed.

"Laura, want to sleep the rest of this off while your treatment kicks in?" He held out his hand to her and Laura looked at him gratefully, eager for a cessation to her nausea, accepted.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Honor Rae was filled with mixed feelings.

First, _the Doctor listened_ to them.

And secondly, the Doctor listened _to them_.

It was all about the emphasis.

She was happy and relieved that the Doctor would take their warnings into consideration and thereby preventing any unnecessary deaths, but they were just as likely to make a further mess then the one they were trying to prevent. What if they said the wrong thing? Caused a paradox? This was a huge concern to her and to Laura. Honor was quite sure of that.

Laura was currently asleep only after repeatedly assuring Martha that she couldn't have possibly known and, therefore, it wasn't her fault. Martha had then insisted that all allergies be listed on record for the both of them, so that no further mistakes would be made. For Laura this would have to wait until she woke from the unconscious state the Doctor induced to alleviate her pain while the treatment he administered set to work counteracting the allergic reaction.

The only concerns Honor had in terms of allergies and medical issues, were her asthma and current allergens to animal dander. She knew she had outgrown her ADHD and she was never tested for other related conditions. The therapist she saw had done little in assistance for her depression all those years ago. She knew she was fine. _Really_. She asserted to herself privately. Her asthma remained her larger concern and Honor would much prefer not to be hospitalized again, _at all _if she could help it. She just had to be careful…and make sure that she always carried her inhaler on her person for those inevitable sprinting-for-dear-life sessions. On one hand, she was traveling with two medical professionals on board but she didn't care to be confined to sickbay as the Doctor had previously done to Laura. It definitely left a bad taste in her mouth and taught her the value of discretion.

She started to panic when Korwin began knocking frantically inside the cellular regeneration vault.

And didn't dare approach until the Doctor returned to let the poor man out of his confinement. She briefly remembered what Laura wrote about those chambers in 'Lost in Time' and she shuddered feeling a surge of claustrophobia she didn't know she had. If Sara was real, that meant she…no she couldn't think about what Sara, Penny or even what Lilly endured. She felt a brief surge of nausea when she thought about the 'Final Action'. Lilly's Doctor was so close to doing it and this Doctor truly thought 'Lost in Reality' was an alternate timeline. What if…? She looked at the Doctor and shook her head. She wasn't even going to ask. The very notion of it terrified her.

Yes, she could be a coward. She was honest when she said that she didn't quite think that she was cut out for being a companion, the _Doctor's _companion no less. There was a reason why she liked all the companions. They were so flippin' _cool_. Seriously, beating up a _Dalek_ with a _baseball bat_ because it called you _small_?

_And it called in reinforcements all for one human?_

They were amazing, brave, and completely stupid at times, but Honor liked to think that they showed humanity at its best. They showed strength of character that she didn't have and a moral sense of right and wrong that she seldom found in others. They were at a completely different level of 'awesome' in her humble opinion. They developed and often evolved into these amazing people after their time spent with the Doctor was finished…indeed, there was always a reason that necessitated their departure be it self actualization, romance or tragedy.

Honor Rae had to wonder what would become of herself and Laura during their stay with the Time Lord and how they would eventually depart. Perhaps he would never let them go and they would be forced to remain on the TARDIS for the rest of their lives if a way back home could not be found. She glanced around the room feeling uneasy. This could indeed be where they would both might die, decades from now, on an alien time machine they both once asserted had been fiction.

She shivered, feeling as if someone had just walked over her grave. These thoughts were doing nothing for her ease of mind. Determinedly, she fiddled with the iPhone she was holding, adjusting the settings to her liking. When she opened her contacts, Honor immediately noticed that there were only three; the TARDIS, Martha, and Laura. It wasn't much different from her phone back at home except her address book contained the names of her friend Kiley and her grandparents respectively. A cursory look at Laura's iPhone revealed a similar set up.

The Minnesotan personally didn't know how to handle all of this technology, having only ever owned a cheap laptop and a basic phone with limited minutes. The high tech laptop, iPad, and iPhone were overwhelming and completely new to her although she could hardly complain. The Doctor had been rather flustered and embarrassed when the red head immediately embraced him enthusiastically before muttering a muffled 'thank you!' and took to running off to her room determined to test all the features of her new devices.

Martha expressed much the same enthusiasm when presented with her upgraded phone and the key to the TARDIS. She chose not to hug him, but her expression and tone conveyed her gratitude and happiness with great clarity. Laura didn't disappoint either when she emerged from the sleep room fully recovered, presenting a smile and a heartfelt 'thank you' when he handed her the devices with her previous downloads restored.

They soon found themselves on the cusp of an adventure. Laura had asked what had become of Korwin and Kath McDonnell as well as the rest of the crew in the future. The Doctor pondered for a moment before finally admitting that he didn't know what happened to five of the members of the Pentallian. However Korwin and Kath became activists for the protection of sentient gas giants, most notably Torajii, the sun that they had originally harmed.

The Doctor had set the destination of the TARDIS to a planet called Kirith. "It's been quite a while since I last visited this one, centuries even." He blinked. "Oh, I'm getting old… It used to be a dead planet orbiting a red giant until the Panjistri came with a moon called the Kandasi. They created a race remarkably similar to that of Time Lords called the Kirithons. 'Course, the Panjistri were trying to trying to prevent the end of time but were going about it the wrong way by sacrificing their creations. Then a Timewyrm possessed their leader to conquer the universe and, well, I couldn't let that continue to happen. We'll just see how they're coming along now, eh?"

When Honor exited the TARDIS, she froze, staring at the scene in front of her with wide eyes. "No…Oh, no way," she mumbled. "It actually does exist? Seriously? Oh wow!"

"How do you mean?" Martha asked, confused. "The Doctor just gave a history lesson about it, why wouldn't it exist?"

"I intended to write about this! In my story, Penny visits this planet with her Doctor after 'Journey's End'… It was one of my favorite places, the most peaceful and beautiful. The high levels of artron energy in the atmosphere of the planet was a catalyst for…" She paused. "Never mind, doesn't matter now. Never came up with a name for it, but it's nice to know what it's called."

"Reminds me of wonderland," Laura observed.

"A bit humid, though," Martha remarked as she took off her jacket. She frowned at the sky. "Is that the moon? It's still daytime and I don't see the sun anywhere."

"Yeah, it's perpetually twilight here…" Honor answered, struggling to remember what she outlined for her story some time ago. "Most of the light is caused by the artron energy in the air. In my story the sun's only a white dwarf and too far away to influence the world a great deal, and I can see the same holds true here. The moon is merely reflecting back the light of the planet."

By this time, the Doctor had exited the TARDIS and was nearly bowled over by the sheer strength of the scent of artron energy permeating the air. "Whoa! What a smell!" He yelped, briefly covering his nose with his sleeve until he gradually became accustomed to the aroma.

Meanwhile, his three companions looked at him in bemusement. Martha sniffed the air curiously, "What is that? Smells like honey."

"Haven't you visited this planet before? Didn't it smell the same?" Laura added.

"Artron energy, and yes, I have. It just wasn't this thick before, not so dense that a human could detect it as easily as you all are now. Besides, can't blame me, artron is usually a subtle, sweet scent and weeeell this," He paused. "This is like a blow to the face for me. My guess is the dual physical temporal nexuses on this planet, a weak point for the artron energy to escape in to the air."

Laura had wandered a small distance away with Honor, brushing the large fern-like plants out of her way. They came to a stop next to the cliff side and took in the breathtaking sight.

Mountains as far as the eye can see, blanketed by leafless forests and ponds that were interlaced with small streams and creeks. Grass had been replaced with the ferns and large flowers that appeared to resemble dandelions in their taraxacum stage with the white seedlings still attached. They were entirely cloaked in a golden glow as clouds moved across the sky however closer inspection revealed them to be creatures that looked like massive, luminescent jellyfish. Some of the trees even seemed to move on their own volition prompting Laura to ask, "Is this the home of Jabe's ancestors?"

"What?" Honor queried before squinting in the direction her friend indicated. "I think those are the tree deer and what you're looking at are their antlers."

Laura's eyes widened. "Tree deer? They're huge!"

"Well, in my story, their antlers mimic the trees to avoid being eaten by the sky-jellies and cloud-rays. They're also bigger than the trees, which are about the size of how I would imagine a redwood might be. I think they look like the redwoods too, just without the leaves and the branches, only more intertwined."

"I'm thinking that they don't need the leaves any longer, as there is no sun. If you look, the trees are clustered near the ponds. My guess is that they take all the nutrients they need from the water and absorb the artron energy through the air as a supplement." The Doctor noted.

"But didn't you say that high concentrations of artron energy was deadly?" Martha looked perplexed.

"Yes, if it's absorbed via radiation and over long periods of time…or a massive condensed amount of similar energy absorbed in one short burst. The artron here is being produced naturally and all the inhabitants are born having adapted to the high concentration. Visitors might actually find it beneficial in this form, their life spans extended by a small amount. All the same, we won't stay here too long, just take a look around." The Doctor grinned at the three women. "Allons-y, you three!"

"It never ends." Laura was rubbing her forehead in consternation. "It was so much better in my story when he never said it at all." She muttered and Honor chuckled in response.

Fearlessly, he led them down what appeared to be a well-worn path produced by the feet of many creatures over the countless years. Eventually, the road took a curve and brought them into the very appearance of a graveyard for space ships. The strange and alien plants over took the metal structures and made them into homes for what appeared to be white, floating, and very furry eels.

Eels that for all intents and purposes were very friendly and extremely curious.

They fluttered and hovered next to the four visitors, acting as escorts further into the graveyard only stopping the moment the time travelers approached the cave at the end of the path. The eels hovered and watched the visitors for a moment or two before disappearing back to their shipyard home. Perhaps their instincts were to be commended.

The inside of the cave glowed with a muted green and blue, colors solely unique thus far to the primarily yellow and orange planet.

The Doctor was intrigued and had to find the source and reason for this deviation to what he knew to be normal.

This was the start of the trouble that usually followed when traveling with a Time Lord.

The women gasped in awe and wonder. Inside of the cave was a vast collection of blue crystals naturally forming out of the walls, shining and sending rays of blue light, mixing in quite beautifully with the green…Which seemed to be originating on the other side of a vine covered sapphire crystalline wall. The source of this green light was indistinguishable and hard to discern.

"Well, well, well," the Doctor exclaimed out loud. "What do we have here?" Curious and determined to have an answer, the Doctor brought out the sonic and began to scan the wall. He frowned, seeing that his results were incomplete. Muttering to himself, he approached the wall and increased the setting on the sonic to a higher frequency. This proved to be too intrusive and intense, causing a small crack to appear in the wall, creating a fissure that went all the way through…

Something inside the wall began to stir, but this went unnoticed by the Time Lord.

Once again the results proved inconclusive and the Doctor was baffled purporting atmospheric interference was causing havoc to his readings. Frustrated to the point of irritation, the Doctor thumped his hand against the wall quite firmly with the side of his fist, scowling at the barrier. The three women were amused at his sudden duel with the wall in front of him but didn't linger to watch the battle between the sonic and the mysterious frequency, preferring to explore the nearby surroundings instead.

It was to everyone's surprise when something thumped back.

Hesitantly, the Doctor knocked on the wall twice. He considered that this might be a new life form he was on the verge of communicating with.

He was met with several violent thumps and the original small crack on the wall increased in size, spider-webbing across the whole wall. A chattering, chitterling voice that hissed like an insect spoke, "Husband and children of mine, look what I've found. A Time Lord's come to call." Everyone froze, uncertainty keeping them in place. "We can use his essence to increase our lifespan and leave these old husks behind. _Come_."

"Doctor," Martha called out, her voice starting to shake. "I think…I think now would be a good time to run."

"Yeaaaaah," he agreed, drawing out the word, beginning to realize that he might have just made a huge mistake. "Back to the TARDIS!" Chips of crystal fell from the wall. "Now!" All four turned tail and ran back to the safety of the time ship, hearing the crumbling wall beginning to collapse behind them in the cave as the buzzing, fluttering of insect wings increased in volume.

Past the ship graveyard, up the path, and along the cliff side, the group raced back to the TARDIS and into the confines of the console room. The Doctor didn't waste a second in putting the TARDIS into the vortex before demanding, "Did they see you? Did they see your faces?" The trio started shaking their heads and the Doctor sighed in relief before an alert from the monitor gave him an expression of consternation. Investigating the alarm, the Doctor scowled, muttering a curse. "They've locked unto the TARDIS, I can't shake them." He ran his both his hands through his hair as he rapidly began to consider his options.

"Who are they?" Martha looked at the Doctor with fear in her eyes as he began to move quickly around the console room, preparing a metal device, his fingers moving swiftly.

"The Family of Blood, incorporeal life forms generally with short lifespans. Usually only three months but consuming a Time Lord essence could extend it exponentially. They're predators and they're desperate. They caught my scent and now they've latched on."

Laura start shaking her head. "But, Honor and I, our energy, even if you hide your scent, they can still smell us!" She knew what the Doctor was going to do and desperately racked her brain to think of a way to prevent it.

"No," the Doctor denied tersely. "They can't. Their sense of smell has been completely overwhelmed by the scent of artron for years, centuries! They'd be lucky if they would be able to ever differentiate that odor again. Sensory adaptation has its pros and cons. Thankfully, that works to both your advantage. Unfortunately, the scent of a Time Lord is too unique, too singular, I won't be able to disguise it, unless…"

His voice trailed off as he brought out the finished product for what Honor and Laura knew to be the chameleon circuit. Facing his three companions, he completed his sentence, his expression grim, "…Unless I become human."

"Wait," Martha tried. "I don't understand. How could they even be following us? We're in a time machine and-"

"Stolen technology." The Doctor shook his head frantically. "They've got a time agent's vortex manipulator. Doesn't matter where we go. They can follow us across the universe. That's why I have to do this."

"No!" Laura protested. The Doctor turned to her in surprise and she glanced at Honor. "You can't. Doesn't matter if you become human. They'll find you anyway. The watch….it will be taken and people will die. You won't know who you are and-"

"Which is why I am giving it to you." He took her hand, pressing the fob into her hand. "You and Honor will know better then anyone when to restore me."

He turned back to the chameleon arch and Laura gritted her teeth. He simply wasn't listening to her. "They don't live long right? Around three months?" She looked at the Doctor for confirmation and he nodded.

"Riiight. Like mayflies. Die out after three months. They should-"

"You consider this a mercy don't you, Doctor?" Honor challenged. "Changing into human. Lettin' them die."

He was momentarily silent and Laura nodded in agreement. "The real mercy would be is if you destroy them now."

The Doctor looked at her stunned. "Laura! I can't. That goes against the very nature of-"

"Being the Doctor? What about torture? Eternal torment? That count too?" Laura challenged. "Because I can't watch that again." She remembered the episode all too clearly and it disgusted her seeing the Doctor play god and sentencing the Family of Blood to an eternal hell of the Time Lord's own devising. "I just can't and if you…" Her words trailed and the Doctor released a sigh approaching the two.

"I'll make you a promise that won't happen." He told them both.

Laura drew in a staggered breath and Honor looked at him hopefully. "You will?" They had their deal on both sides and if he made a promise to them, then surely he would keep his word.

"Of course. It won't be an option." He didn't know why they think he would be capable of such an atrocity. Perhaps it was an alternate time line they had either watched or sensed that gave them such a derogatory picture.

Laura glanced down at the fob watch in her hand and thought of the Family of Blood in pursuit. Perhaps they had the right to live, even their shortened lifespan like any other creature and if she or Honor kept the device on her person, it would prevent any unnecessary deaths. Still, spending several weeks in a late Victorian boarding school did not sound remotely appealing despite her taste for antiquities. What positions would Honor and herself even be relegated to since she recalled that Martha was forced to work as a maid? Would they have to-

"Ok, now the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for me, find me a setting and-" He paused looking at both Laura and Honor before rapidly typing in commands to the monitor. Profiles would need to be created for them and set into the human mind he was about to transition into. The Doctor couldn't chance leaving the two girl's unchecked but he also knew neither one of them were going to like what he had to do.

"And what?" Martha demanded.

"Martha, you'll have to improvise but Honor and Laura will help. The TARDIS will include them as part of my family." He headed back to the chameleon arch, briefly closing his eyes as Laura and Honor protested this development.

"Family?" Honor folded her arms across her chest as Laura clenched both her hands into fists at her side.

"Yes, depending on what setting we are transitioned into, I will be your father and-"

With that, Laura tossed the fob watch onto the floor, paying the Doctor a look of disgust. "Hell no! I have a father and I DON'T want another." With that, she exited the console area and went directly to her room. At that moment, she was at her wit's end.

Honor picked up the watch, only to hand it over to Martha before giving a brief shake of her head. "I don't know about this. My stepfather was bad enough." She proceeded down the hallway after Laura leaving the Doctor and Martha alone to see to his actual transformation.

The Doctor heaved a sigh, glancing at Martha. "You trust me don't you?"

"Of course I do." Martha said wholeheartedly.

"Good because this just might all depend on you." He told her.

Martha swallowed hard but tried to put on a brave face. "I'll talk them round. We'll work it out. Don't worry. But…." She looked at him with apparent worry as he put the chameleon arch on his head. "If that thing is going to rewrite you. Make you human, will it hurt?"

The Doctor looked at her grimly and nodded. "Oh yes, it hurts." With a flick of a switch, the device activated and he started screaming in agony as he writhed on the floor while Martha could only watch in horror as his transformation went underway.

**Author's Note: **So onto the Family of Blood of late Victorian England. I know some aspects of this chapter were a bit dry with the explanations, etc but it was necessary to provide some foundation. Thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her inspiration and contributions.


	6. Secret Side of Me

**From Chapter 5:**

Martha swallowed hard but tried to put on a brave face. "I'll talk them round. We'll work it out. Don't worry. But…." She looked at him with apparent worry as he put the chameleon arch on his head. "If that thing is going to rewrite you. Make you human, will it hurt?"

The Doctor looked at her grimly and nodded. "Oh yes, it hurts." With a flick of a switch, the device activated and he started screaming in agony as he writhed on the floor while Martha could only watch in horror as his transformation went underway.

**Chapter 6:**

_One month later_

Laura and Honor rushed down the stairs during the early morning hoping to avoid the attention of any onlookers in the Farringham School for Boys as they headed out the door. The last month being forced to playact had been stifling much less cope with the Doctor who had self imposed amnesia and now was under the impression that they were his daughters who had resided for the majority of their lives with his wife in America until her unfortunate death from typhus conveyed them both to his care.

"So, he supposedly married our mother but they separated and never divorced?" Honor had asked.

"Not that simple with the Church of England. If he divorces and tries to remarry, his wife would not have the same standing and any children would be declared bastards." Laura explained.

"Oh, well, that explains a lot." Honor had muttered and Laura sighed. It was fortunate that they weren't forced to share the same quarters as their self appointed guardian who resided down the hall. Laura had been stunned to learn she would have to play the role of an English teacher and Honor an assistant matron to the school. All this news was made worse by the fact that Laura had terrible stage fright.

"It could be worse." Martha tried to tell her. "You could have been a maid."

"We can't do that instead?" Honor asked in desperation. "Maybe work in the kitchen…?" She loved to cook regardless of the environment.

"No!" Martha exclaimed. "This is Victorian England. You're both integrated as daughters of an esteemed professor from Oxford." She glanced at Laura. "You know you can't."

Laura looked at Honor wearily. "She's right." She knew her history all too well. "We can't." She took a deep breath and met Martha's gaze. "But you don't have to do this. Be a servant. We're stuck. You're not. You can-"

"And leave you both to watch him? Can't trust either of you to look out for yourselves."

Martha's assessment was proven accurate since the two girls often grated on the nerves of the very human John Smith who tried to instill order and when they rebelled, he blamed their recalcitrance on the whims of their mother.

"Your mother may have let you do as you please but you're in England now and you will obey me."

That argument hit way to close to home in particular and Laura shuddered at the mere expression. "Tomorrow is Saturday. We will have the day to ourselves no matter what." She expressed fervently. She overheard the older boys speak of a pub directly in town and at that point, she didn't care what was proper. She fully intended that both Honor and herself should go.

"But what about the Doctor?" Honor whispered.

"Be up at seven am. He doesn't rise until eight." Laura confided. Their plan cemented.

They raced out the front door when a voice called out to them. "Ladies. Why in such a hurry?"

Laura gave a brief sigh as she turned. "Headmaster." She acknowledged as Honor did likewise.

"I believe your father is looking for you."

Laura beckoned to Honor quickly. "My sister and I are taking a walk. Apparently the morning air is good for her lungs." She raised her eyebrows at Honor.

"Yes, my asthma." Honor started. "Hard to breathe inside all the time and…" Her voice trailed.

"I see." The headmaster examined them both. "Then I shall tell him to expect you both when I return from chapel." He nodded in their direction. "Good day."

"Can't believe this." Honor said. "He's just as bad."

"Tell me about it. Wish he would just go away. Feels like we're all alone here and…" Laura started to say as she dug her nails into her palms. She drew in a shuddered breath. "I just want to go home. Makes things worse, knowing what is coming." They lingered briefly for a few moments in silence, their thoughts meandered to the story they had progressed in writing inspired by the brief visitation they had at the Orangery. It was so much easier to dwell in the realm of fiction then it was in reality and Laura let out a sigh.

"What are we going to do when the Family gets here?" Honor asked in desperation as they walked.

"Get the Doctor back before they start killing people."

"But what if-" Honor was about to ask 'if something goes wrong?'. It was inevitably a self fulfilling prophecy as her query was suddenly cut off by screams echoing from the direction of the chapel.

Both girls suddenly felt alarm and turned, heading in the direction of the church only to be horrified by the appearance of the headmaster, hanging from the old orchard tree by a noose twisted hurriedly around his already broken neck.

"Not again." Laura whispered, hardly able to speak and Honor found herself hardly able to breathe.

"The timelines." Honor murmured in panic. "Changing again. He wasn't meant to die here."

"What are we going to do?" Laura asked her in panic. "We need-"

"You both need to return to your room this instant." The Doctor was advancing on them looking bewildered at the sight before him. "Dear Lord, the headmaster. Never thought he would…" He paused before taking Laura and Honor's arms in one stride. "You will both return inside. This is no place for either of you. I will ask Matron Redfern attend on you two." This was definitely not a sight that women should be experiencing much less his two daughters and the nurse would prove useful if the girls had taken to fright.

"No, we need Martha instead." Honor insisted but this human version of the Doctor wasn't listening. Certainly, John Smith, a proper English gentlemen didn't think it appropriate that his own daughters disobey his commands.

"You both need to rest after the shock. It is only proper that-"

But Honor and Laura did not care for convention or what was appropriate at the moment as they both broke free from his grasp and willfully disappeared in the school grounds to his dismay. As soon as John Smith entered the school hall and spotted Martha, he strode right up to her. She glanced up at him from her position at scrubbing the school floor. "Sir? Do you need anything?"

"Martha, the headmaster is dead and my daughters…they have both run off." Anxiety flooded his features. "Just like their mother." He shook his head and looked at the girl in front of him. "Could you…?"

"Don't worry, sir." Martha assured him. "I'll find them."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Is it the Family?" Laura started to ponder. They circled around to the entrance of the kitchen struggling to contemplate what was taking place. "Have they found us early?"

"If they did, why would they just kill him?" Honor reasoned. "Why not use his form? Doesn't make sense at all."

"It has to do with us." Laura clenched her hands together nervously. "Whatever it is, has to be our fault. We're here and we're not supposed to be. The headmaster was not supposed to die that way. He-"

"There you two are." Martha breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way over to them, pulling her cloak tightly over her shoulders. "The Doctor is fuming, you know. You had better get inside."

"You know he's not really the Doctor, right?" Honor muttered. "He's…" Her voice trailed.

"You both promised you would help me look out for him. I know it's not easy but-"

"Easy?" Laura shook her head. "Having to pretend he's our father. I would do anything to talk to mine right now and going through this charade each day is agonizing. I…." Her sorrow was matched only by Honor's and wordlessly they took each other's hand in reassurance.

"I'm sorry." Martha knew that at least when this ordeal was over her family was still at home waiting for her while these girls were unlikely to ever see their parents again. The thought of having her entire life stripped away in one foul swoop was almost unimaginable and her heart couldn't help but go out to each of them. "Why don't you come up to my room the back way so he doesn't spot you and we all have some tea? Try to relax?" After the events of the day, they could all surely use it.

The girls finally acceded as Martha led the way but Laura couldn't help but ask, "What about the headmaster? What did they say about him?"

Martha grimaced. "They all account it as a suicide but…" She paused.

"But what?" Honor asked.

"I may still have a year left to finish school but the angle of which his neck was broken looks like he was dead before he was strung up there." Martha concluded.

"It wasn't the Family." Laura said with certainty.

"Then who?" Martha asked.

Both girls had no answer to give, deeply wishing they had one to offer.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Classes were cancelled for the next few days as silence emanated among the hallways from the news of the headmaster's apparent suicide however as Laura passed Timothy Latimer, the young boy she knew had a moderate psychic ability, he seemed to stare at her knowingly. He was always exceedingly polite although solitary and often manipulated by the older boys in her class. The very first day of instruction, he had approached her, saying, "You're a long way from home."

She was nearly caught of guard as she swallowed before nodding. "I'm only here temporarily. My sister and I come from America which is a pretty long way I suppose…"

"No, another Earth, another time." He stared at her. "When the time comes it will be your decision to make. Both of you will need to tread lightly. There will be sacrifice."

Laura suddenly felt dizzy as she grasped the back of her chair and Timothy had become alarmed at that moment. "Oh, Miss, I'm so sorry. I say things. I don't know why and sometimes they turn out to be true. Please, I just…" His voice faded.

She shook her head and offered him a smile at that moment. "It's all right. You….you gave us both hope. Don't be sorry for that."

He still looked disconcerted at the time by her reassurance but eventually he left the classroom and she shared the knowledge she garnered from him with Honor who looked no less disturbed. Although optimistic about a possible way home on the horizon, she was filled with foreboding about this potential sacrifice and their need to 'tread lightly'. It was becoming a reoccurring theme.

They were met with only further distress when John Smith was adamant that they join him for tea to meet the new headmaster the board of governors was sending over to take ready charge of the school. Laura was reluctant as Honor was equally so since usually such occasions were only lectures especially to Laura as the eldest as to why she hadn't fulfilled her primary obligation and found a suitable man to marry. Honor had just reached the age where she would be considered marriageable but Laura by far had a greater penance to bear since their mother did nothing to encourage either of them in finding a suitable spouse.

"I'm not ready yet." Laura told him stoically when Honor and herself were sitting with him at tea.

"Then pray tell, what in the name of King and Country are you waiting for?"

"It's up to her." Honor interceded. "When she's ready, she'll decide. That's all there is to it."

John Smith opened his mouth. It was the beginning of another argument when suddenly a knock resounded on the door. Closing his eyes briefly, he shook his head. "Impeccable timing." He muttered as he opened the door. "Ah, Matron Redfern and this must be our new headmaster. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance despite the circumstances."

"Quite the contrary, the pleasure is all mine." The familiar voice gave way to sudden alarm as Laura and Honor bolted upright in their chairs, hearts pounding.

"No, it can't be! Not him." Honor murmured and Laura closed her eyes feeling dizzy. She was hallucinating again. That had to be it but when she saw the same figure from the Orangery enter the room, she found herself unable to breathe, the corset she was forced to wear constricting her very lungs.

"These are my daughters," John beckoned to then. "Come from America, they are-"

"Laura and Honor." He walked towards them and Laura flinched as he took her hand. "But we've already been acquainted, have we not?"

She shook her head and he gave her a smile that was more of a leer. "Indeed, Laura, I was asked to come here. Don't you recall?"

His image seemed to blur in front of her and now she knew what she and Honor must of done. Using their fears with their wishes against them, given their ability to manifest they had granted the Great Intelligence a gift centuries early then he should have received. The form made fearful out of their story and had prevailed itself on the back of their minds, which now was here to mock them.

He had taken on the very image of the same morally compromised Sherlock Holmes with all the strength of the Great Intelligence and the Doctor didn't know who he was. Still incased in the shroud of his amnesia awaiting the arrival of the Family of Blood who still had yet to find him.

Laura was terrified as she tried to back away but the man in front of her held firm as dots started to dance in front of her eyes and the sound of blood rush into her ears. Her sparse diet was once again a factor in the dizziness she couldn't control. "Can't breathe…dangerous…he's…" But she couldn't speak anymore as she started to collapse only to be caught by the very enemy they had both come to dread.

Honor was frantic. They had given the Doctor no explanation as to their fears of their encounter at the Orangery and now? She didn't know what to do when this man, this entity had her friend in his grasp. "God help us." She muttered to herself. Could she stall? Find a way out of this for herself and Laura long enough to speak with Martha? _The Great Intelligence. Our minds gave him form. _She remembered the advice the eleventh Doctor gave to Clara with the snowmen who attacked. _'Imagine them melting.' _Would that work or once he manifested, was something more serious required? Her throat was dry as the man pretending to be her father offered apologies to the individual he believed to be the headmaster in front of him.

"It merits no apology." Was his response as he seemed to glance between Laura and Honor. "I find both your daughters quite compelling."

Honor blanched and she immediately went forward to attempt to remove Laura from his grasp for which this man only paused.

"I feel in repayment I must extend an offer for the two of you to join me for tea in my _new_ study."

The way he emphasized 'new', Honor was quite certain that he indeed facilitated the death behind the former headmaster.

"No, we…" Honor started. "Laura's diet is particular and we-"

"I insist." He said flatly. "Tomorrow, 4:00. I will expect you both present."

"I-"

"They will both be there." John Smith said and Honor turned to give him a meaningful glare. What was he thinking? _Oh he's not. His brain is scrambled. He just sees his superior and…_

"Very well." He paused. "I shall attend to your sister."

"Wait, no, you can't!" Honor started but he had already removed Laura and shut the door behind him. She started to go after him only to find the Doctor's arm restraining her.

"Let this be." He ordered. The man appeared distinguished and of good breeding. Perhaps Laura's prospects at courting weren't so dire despite both girls rebellious behavior. He had often hoped Matron Redfern might have a positive influence on them both but now…

"No! You have to remember this. You've dealt with him before. The Great Intelligence. For centuries and we manifested him. Doctor, please." Honor pleaded. What was she going to do? Laura currently had the watch in her possession but what were the motives of the Great Intelligence? She tried to remember the show. If they had established a link, at this point, he might need them both to survive. Prickles of dread shot through her. _Everyone else is fair game. _"He's dangerous. You can't trust him."

Only the sober eyes of John Smith stared back at her. "Honor, you've gone absolutely too far. I have no idea what you're speaking about."

Anger swelled through her as she stared at the former Time Lord before she turned on him fearlessly with gritted teeth. There was more at stake then his propriety and expectations at the moment.

"Look, I…" Saying the word felt almost wrong to the red head, but desperate times called for desperate measures in her mind. Maybe it was time she tried to speak his lingo. "Father, you need to understand. I may not have the best grasp of decorum, but this can't be right. A strange man in a room with my sister? Alone? Please, Miss Redfern's a nurse, she'd be able to help Laura better!"

Something in the man's expression shifted then, somewhere between surprise and embarrassment. He turned to the ever-so-quiet matron who had yet to speak since entering. She looked like she dearly wanted to interfere, but remained mute until John Smith asked if she would mind assisting with his elder daughter. The matron immediately agreed and excused herself, before bustling after the imposter-headmaster and Laura. _Truly, the perfect example of what it means to be a woman_, Honor felt exasperation. _I forgot that we're all supposed to be seen and not heard unless spoken to…Romantic era my butt_.

Her supposed father still had not released her arm.

It was now just the two of them alone, and it was obvious that he had some things he wanted to speak with her about. He studied what he thought to be his rather imprudent youngest child before releasing her and crossing his arms. "Mind explaining what that outburst of yours was?"

"I got confused, mistook you for someone you're not. Happens when I get _scared_," Honor told him, satisfied with the hidden barbs in her comment, one of which he wouldn't understand. The other one, however, caught his attention just as she intended.

"Scared?" He queried. "And what could possibly intimidate you to the point where you would have momentary leave of your senses?"

_You, the Great Intelligence, the Family of Blood, what's happening to the timeline, the Master, need I go on?_ The Minnesotan thought privately to herself. Out loud, she said, "He…that man, the headmaster, he reminds us of someone back in the States. Shifty and not entirely pleasant. I'm scared that he might be alike in more than just appearance…his words don't inspire any confidence that I'm wrong." She thought that speaking like she was out of one of those old movies was tedious and trying on her patience. This was especially true with her attempting to come up with half-truths while she was still trying to keep her promise of honesty and being straightforward for this simple man in front of her.

John huffed in exasperation, "This fear of yours is rather unfounded. You both have only just met the man. What has he done to receive this response from you other than having a similar visage to another unsavory character? They are not the same man. Having tea with him will prove you worries inconsequential and unreasonable, and it may provide the opportunity for your sister to find a suitor in him and fulfill her duty."

Honor Rae gaped at him, struck speechless. Once again, she had forgotten how deeply the man before her was entrenched in his cover as a human. She had forgotten how he really believed this marriage business to be something of urgent importance…even to the point of it not mattering how either Honor or Laura felt on the subject.

For a moment, she considered punching John Smith and breaking his nose, if only to watch and see how hard it would be for him to keep such superiority in his features while he was gushing blood. If she could break another kid's nose back in first grade, she was sure she could do it again. He was leaning forward, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for her arm to lash out and-

_No_, she thought. _Using physical force won't get through that thick skull of his. He'll just think I'm some savage and untrained animal that needs to be carted off somewhere for an intervention of some sort, get the insolence brainwashed out of me_. Of course, there was another weapon that she had that would be just as potent to the 'gentlemen' in front of her: Honor's rather stark and brusque words that she had in her opinion of John Smith. There was no chance that she'd soften or sugar-coat them, either, at this point, her buttons had been pressed one too many times in the past month.

"There's a reason why we don't want to get married, _father_," she spat venomously. "'Cause we don't want to make the same _mistake_ our mother did, marryin' a man who has no intent of stayin' with her. We don't want to marry a man who'd just leave us to love and raise his children alone, because he got _intimidated_ or _bored_ with playin' house. We don't want to marry someone that _you_ choose just for social status or 'cause _you _thought it'd be proper!"

Honor's voice had risen considerably over the course of her monologue and John's eyes widened in stunned shock. "What's sad is that you think you can just take complete and utter control of our lives when you obviously never cared nor bothered until you had no choice. You didn't care enough to _stay_, so you must not care what happens to us unless it impacts you. Lord forbid that your reputation takes a hit 'cause your girls decide to wait until they find someone who isn't a shark or only talk."

"Now hold on a minute," John began weakly, voice pained. "Listen-"

Honor Rae snorted derisively, "That's rich coming from you, you _never_ listen to us, don't even care. You'd probably be grateful if we just fell off the face of the earth, _happy_ even."

"That's not true, I-" John attempted.

"No, I…I'm done. I'm just done with you. You never cared, so why should I? Later, gator." And with that sharp closing remark, Honor skittered around out of the man's reach and quickly made her exit into the adjoining room where Laura was currently being attended. Surprisingly, instead of being angered by this massive violation of Victorian etiquette and ideals, the once-Time-Lord-now-human was wounded by what had been scathingly spat at him.

Contrary to what Honor had assumed, and drawn from her own personal life concerning her views on her own biological father, John Smith believed that it was _his wife_ that had broke it off. That _she_ was the one who had left _him_. He had loved Rose Smith. He would have never left her of his own volition and had meant it when he promised to her, 'until death do us part.' So the only explanation to this conundrum, in his mind, was that Rose had left him and took his two daughters with her, all over some misunderstanding involving his old sweetheart, Reinette.

The details were foggy, but he attributed the cause of this due to the fact of the whole debacle happening over fifteen years ago.

The death of his daughters' mother affected him just as deeply as it affected them. He didn't want to lose his daughters too, the idea terrified him. The last link to his family disappearing was a horrifying notion to contemplate. He just wanted….

What did he want?

A closer relationship with his distant offspring?

Another chance to do right by his now deceased wife?

The assurance that his line would be continued in the comfort of this particular station?

Or, maybe, it was simply all of the above?

The gulf that had grown between him and his children appeared to be almost insurmountable. This seemed to be largely caused by a lack of communication and a grave misunderstanding on the girls' part. It wasn't that he didn't want to be a part of their life, but rather, that Rose wouldn't have any part of him in theirs after that brief incident when his old life with Reinette intersected with his new life with Rose.

Why hadn't she understood that he had left the other woman on that beach for a reason? That he and Reinette could never happen? That he couldn't see a happy future with her and had left her so she'd be able to make one for herself? He never told Reinette that he loved her, whereas in contrast, he made the effort of making sure that Rose could never once doubt of his love for her. Ever.

Another chance to tell her this and convince her of the truth of his feelings was something he dearly wished.

However, it was too late now. He needed to accept this disheartening fact and move on, because there was still a chance for him yet to do right by Rose…just not through her directly. If he could only mend his relationship with his daughters back to where it used to be when he and Rose were together, maybe he could let himself move on from his past mistakes, possibly even imagine that Rose was watching him from above, smiling in approval.

There was just one problem: neither of his daughters seemed receptive to his efforts.

Actually, if he was honest with himself, they were repulsed by said efforts.

He was only trying to instruct and introduce them to the way of live suited to their station in Victorian society. He knew this would be somewhat of a shock, as they were probably used to living in disgrace with a single mother who separated from her still-living husband, a mother who largely didn't care for and bypassed many rules of etiquette regardless. Not to mention them being raised in a foreign country. John wasn't exactly sure what would be construed as 'normal' in America, but he suspected that flappers were far more common place.

Imagine his shock when he first caught glance of Honor's boyish haircut, it was only recently that he managed to convince her to grow it out.

Outward appearance aside, their personalities and way of thinking was seriously out of sync with what would be considered appropriate with their newfound status. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that they've never had any experience in the way of Victorian etiquette other than the barest basics that any decent human being would have.

Well, he amended, Honor, anyway. Laura seemed to be more familiar with the concepts than the younger girl. This he attributed to how much knowledge of the rules of decorum they knew before their mother removed them from the influence of a proper social setting. Unfortunately, this led to many disagreements between him and his daughters, as neither seemed to agree with what they _did_ know most of the time.

"_That's ridiculous! I ain't so fragile thing to be coddled. Snakes don't scare me and I can just take care of it myself, easier and quicker than waitin' for some guy who fancies himself my knight in shinin' armor. I'm a girl, not an invalid."_

"_I know the material as well as the next educated person. I _did_ go to school, after all. The only difference is that I'm a woman, which isn't much of one at all when it comes to intelligence and knowing the facts."_

They were much more independent and stout-hearted than most women, attributes that they had no doubt inherited from their mother.

John Smith frowned. Rose likely would have smacked him if he treated her the same way he was treating their children. Now that he thought of it, it was only after he became a whole new man, so to speak, that he detected any perceivable change in their relationship. This change had been brought about after he left Oxford and had become a gentleman in the views of society. A large, to him, leap from pensioner of the working class to a college educated professor of the upper class.

He had taken such pains to fit into this new rank in the social pecking order, that he likely neglected to consider that there had been a point to some of his previous views of the world…Views that both he and Rose had shared with equal fervor. Wasn't that why he had left the much better off Reinette, despite her being a sure-fire way to marrying into a higher class? They were from two completely different worlds then, it surely wouldn't have ended very well.

The only one who had changed in his marriage, had been him. Rose remained the same; scorning most of the other women of the upper class and remaining on friendly terms with the women of the working class. She came from a home that never had servants and was used to doing everything herself; when they inherited Martha from John's parents, she felt uncomfortable with the majority of the domestics being taken care of for her. His wife had found it difficult to adjust and adapt to the social change, and it had strained their relationship when he had begun to impress the importance of making the transition.

Reinette had merely been the final straw that broke the camel's back.

What were the words she had used? Condescending and high-handed. Lordly, even. As if he had fancied himself better than her and no longer the equals that they had once been. Rose had been his ever constant companion through his life when they had were just starting out, the best of friends with a relationship that grew only stronger through marriage…until it had wasted away to nothingness because of his hubris.

She had told him once when he was a youth that someone had to keep him in check, make sure that he didn't lose his sense of self.

When she left him, Rose told him that she thought that it had been her but wondered if she made the mistake of assuming too much of him.

Perhaps Rose was right, John mused. He might have lost his way again. While he did possess some sway and power over his daughters, just by being their father, he might have overextended his reach just a tad. Possibly. Possibly not.

Regardless, his attitude and actions were driving a wedge between both himself and the two girls. It was the last thing any one of them needed. That was not to say, however, he was going to completely back off and acquiesce to all of their whims. No, he would try for a compromise, give them a little ground and loosen his iron grip, show the two of them that he _was_ listening.

That he always listened to them, even if he didn't actually pay attention to and hear what they were really trying to say.

Laura clenched her hands tightly to her sides. She couldn't believe that she had actually gone through with it. That she had actually, willingly gone to that stupid tea invite with the Great Intelligence. A quick glance to her friend revealed that the other girl was just as unsettled.

It was all John Smith's fault, really.

If he hadn't had that sudden change of heart, hadn't talked with them, she probably would have hid in the TARDIS with Honor for the rest of the week, damn the consequences. She had too much of a soft heart for her own good. The rather sad background story that John Smith had created for himself had her resolve beginning to crack the slightest bit. Then he, in a manner of speaking, apologized to them in a sort of roundabout way without ever saying the words, 'I'm sorry.' It was the offer of compromise that did it for Laura, of them going to just this one tea for him, in exchange of the subject of marriage being held off for a few months.

A few months was more than enough time for time travelers to wait out the Family. She would've said 'yes' if he only gave her six weeks of reprieve. Really, most of the troubles of the past month stemmed from him _constantly_ harping about the topic.

She had a feeling that Honor had said something to catalyze this shift in personality, but the red head was surprisingly quiet about it, the slightest bit guilty even. It was simply left to the eldest woman's imagination to what had occurred.

In other news, Honor was now in possession of the fob watch, having been able to requisition it before the Great Intelligence could so much as lay a finger on it. He had apparently tried to take it from Laura, as if in idle curiosity and wanting to examine it closer. Both women knew that his true motives were far from innocent. Honor had snatched and quickly shoved it into her bra, daring the dangerous being to try and take it from her.

She only explained her actions with a simple, "That's all we've got of our mother. Don't touch it."

The pocket watch was still there and the Minnesotan claimed that it was the safest place it could possibly be stored at the moment. No one would dare take it from her there, unless they killed her first. She further emphasized that if that were to happen, she'd release the Doctor's essence first so that John Smith would become the Doctor and some hope would remain. Honor doubted that something like that would happen, but she was prepared for any eventuality.

The younger girl's rather casual manner had alarmed and unsettled Laura at first, but upon closer inspection revealed that confident and seemingly dauntless front was a defense measure against despair and pessimism, and not say, reckless and foolish abandon of any regard of and respect for life.

This was the furthest thing from the truth, as Honor had been the one to investigate and find out that one of the servants had gone missing recently and it was presumed that she had deserted her job. Both of the young women had a sinking feeling that this was not at all the case and something much more sinister had taken place. Something being someone, and someone being the new headmaster. There was no one they could really share their concerns to besides Martha, and neither Honor nor Laura knew how exactly to present this new perceived threat to the already burdened companion.

Especially since they had the sinking feeling that it was their fault that the Great Intelligence had manifested itself like this in the first place.

Not to mention that they knew without a doubt that the Family would be making an appearance very soon, the second month already beginning to loom around the corner. It was never exactly established when the Family would appear in the second month, just that they would. Strange green lights would herald their arrival.

Lately, the night sky had become very fascinating to the two of them, or rather, a foreboding scene that would reveal when time would begin to run out for everyone in Farringham.

Besides the impending threat of the Family, the Great Intelligence also revealed himself to be a menace. Not that it came to be a surprise to either girl since they had expected nothing less. The moment Honor and Laura had apprehensively gotten settled in their seats and the tea had been served, the Great Intelligence began to talk to them.

About his evil, masterminded, plan.

Seriously.

And the only reason he dared to brag about it, was that both Laura and Honor already knew the details, a fact he was all to well aware of. It came to some relief to Laura that this being _had_ already fallen into the Doctor's time line to bring about his end. If such was the case, then their effect on the timeline was minimal and the Great Intelligence would be resolved by Clara who followed him on his path shortly thereafter. He claimed the only reason that he manifested here, was that they were here to give power to his form. He gave them a smirk and mockingly thanked them. The girls left at the soonest possible moment but not before he warned them not to interfere.

He didn't have to tell them what the consequences would be, their imagination and memories of him from the TV show filled in the rest of the blanks.

Since he was part of a future paradox, Clara _had_ to be somewhere close by, now, to stop the Great Intelligence, she just _had_ to be. Looking for the other girl gave Honor and Laura a sense of purpose and hope. Succeeding seemed more possible if they just had her help…

They checked the whole school to no avail and used their weekend walks as an excuse to check the town. They found no trace of the girl's presence at the local pub or the inn that was frequently used as a respite for travelers visiting the town. But they knew her appearance would be inevitable since her fate was tied to that of the Great Intelligence since they both stepped into the same time stream. At least, that is what they both hoped. What they needed to believe. Their desperation grew as the imposter posing as the headmaster eyed them with fervency and they took to sneaking out at night for the mere chance of spotting Clara.

Of course, fate would also have it that the one night that they snuck out of the school was the night that they neglected to check the sky.

And see the green streaks of light.

xxxxxxxxx

John Smith as expected was already well enamored with Joan Redfern, which Laura and Honor had come to expect. In some aspects she did bear some similarities to Rose and Reinette, which despite their warnings to Martha, came much to her immense chagrin when John's infatuation with Joan grew by immense proportions.

"You knew this would happen." Martha was obviously distraught and Laura looked upon her with a measure of pity.

"I'm sorry." Laura shook her head. Once again they were having tea in the servant's quarters and neither girl cared about the propriety of the thing. "But Martha, the Doctor was in love with Rose and she was torn away from him." She grimaced. "It broke his heart and led him…" Her voice trailed, not sure what else it was safe to say.

"Led him to what?" Martha demanded.

"It will lead him down bad places." Honor sipped her tea. "Hard to be around him for that." She thought of the Time Lord Victorious and then tried to clear her head of the notion. "But I know for a fact that there are better things waiting for you in your future."

"Oh?" Martha was curious. "Like what?"

"Like, we're not saying." Laura said. "Don't want to ruin it but trust us. You'll be a lot happier then dating some nine hundred year old Time Lord who is on the rebound and doesn't know it." She wrinkled her nose. "That's just kind of disgusting if you think about it."

"Is that why Sara and Nine never got together in 'Lost in Reality'?" Honor asked, remembering what reviewers had suggested. "Because you thought-"

"Because it's repugnant! It's…" Laura was about to go on a tirade before she saw Martha's blank expression. "Sorry, we're going off topic."

"It's alright. The Doctor said that your stories are the way your two sense time. So…" She glanced at Honor. "You wrote about a character too?"

"Yes, Penny." Honor paused. "She's from the same universe as Sara and became trapped in the void before landing in a mental institution for several years before the Doctor found her."

"What happened to her?"

"I…" Honor glanced at Laura. "It depends. There are two stories ongoing. Both unfinished. I can't really say." The truth was, she didn't want to say. The dreams about Penny were chilling enough with the events that were already occurring now. "Laura and I are working on it but with what we know now…" It was an uneasy feeling that they were now sensing multiple timelines and interpreting them in terms of stories but since Sara's visitation, they both wanted to know more.

"I see. Well, you both have been burning the midnight oil. Anything to worry about?"

Laura frowned. As much as they wanted to tell Martha about the Great Intelligence, it wasn't part of her timeline and she was afraid of creating a paradox.

"We're just keeping an eye out for any signs of visitors from out of town." Again this was the truth but Laura wasn't specific about which visitors they were looking for.

"Oh, is that right? So you must have seen that green flash last night. Our expert," Martha rolled her eyes, "Called it a meteor but it didn't look like any comet I've seen. I checked the field however. Nothing was there so-"

"Wait." Honor stopped her. "Green flash. You saw a green light?" There was immediate apprehension on both their faces.

"Well, yes but it can't be them. No trace that I could find so-"

"We have to get the school closed down. Protect the students and faculty." Laura immediately felt tension surge through her. "Martha, I'm sorry. We'll talk to you later, alright?"

She leapt to her feet and the two girls headed out of the servants quarters to Laura's room to retrieve the pocket watch from the floorboard underneath her bed.

"But how with the 'Great Imposter' in charge?" It became one of their little nicknames for him. "We haven't found Clara yet and you heard the news that someone else in the village has disappeared. No doubt-"

"An unwarranted tragedy." A voice said behind them. The two girls immediately turned to see the Great Intelligence approaching them complete in his iconic coat. Laura barely suppressed a shudder and swallowed as they immediately made to veer past him only to feel his fingers encircle her elbow.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was on the verge of panic and Honor immediately stopped to assess the situation.

"It is impolite to simply ignore me after I have extended a greeting. Surely, Laura, you have studied your etiquette for this time period?" It was the same mocking tone.

Laura took a deep breath and looked back at Honor, only to turn back to the imposter before her. "Mr. Baker." She said finally, inclining her head. It was still a slight since she wouldn't acknowledge him as a headmaster but only the alias he presumed to adopt of John Baker. They had both been curious as to know of its origins since to their knowledge, it wasn't garnered from their minds but it was the least of their concerns.

"Now will you release her?" Honor's patience was wearing thin.

"In due course." He proceeded to the window, causing Laura to stagger behind him before he turned to gesture to a poster announcing the upcoming dance that was at the village hall that evening. "In my position, I am obliged to attend and see no reason to excuse myself from the event." He was looking at Laura. "I find it necessary that you should accompany me."

"Excuse me?" Laura looked sickened at the mere proposition.

"You are a teacher here so therefore it is only appropriate that I escort someone in your position. Beside a reason being that you're compelling company, your _father _permitted the courtship." His voice lowered. "You both requested my presence. I am merely a reflection of-"

"You're a murderer." Honor interrupted. "But it doesn't matter. You can't do anythin' here." She took a deep breath. "Best bet is to leave us both alone."

"Now you see, I'm unable to abide that." He smirked at them. "We are linked together and your abilities nonetheless intrigue me." He looked at Laura. "I trust you have something appropriate to wear befitting such an occasion and-"

"The answer is no." Laura was shaken but found her voice.

"Pardon?"

"I'm rather occupied tonight." Laura told him dryly. "I also seem to have a headache. Can't imagine what caused it."

"Perhaps your lackluster eating habits precipitated its arrival." He calculated. "Nevertheless, you will be accompanying me."

"Says who?" She demanded. "You can discharge me but you can't force me to do something I don't want to do!" She clenched her hands into fists at her sides prepared once again to stand her ground.

"You think so?" He asked wryly. "Look outside. Isn't that the boy you've grown so fond of?" Laura glanced out the window seeing Timothy Latimer directly on the stone steps beneath her and she inhaled sharply.

"Would be such a shame if he were to suddenly disappear? A mind is such a terrible thing to waste, especially one so young." He paused. "And there is so much intelligence in this school waiting to be consumed as it were." The imposter stared at her directly and Laura briefly closed her eyes. "Might you reconsider? An evening of your time in exchange for the assurance of their safety? I would consider that an equal trade."

Laura felt tears threatening to emerge. If she was Sara….but she wasn't. She didn't know how to deal with someone like him and a hunger strike wouldn't cut it this time if he was threatening to kill people around her. Honor looked equally stunned too. Neither one of them had anticipated this but they didn't know how to control their ability on the off chance that their thoughts had gotten the best of them. They needed the Doctor and they needed him now but at the moment, she was stuck.

"Fine…I…I'll go." Laura reluctantly acceded hating herself for doing so.

"Splendid." He said. "Then I shall be by to escort you to the dance at seven. Be certain you are prepared." With that remark, he finally released her, turned on his heel and left.

Laura felt as though she was on the verge of a panic attack when Honor gripped her arm.

"Steady. We'll get the watch. Get the Doctor back. Blow off the dance. No worries, right?" Honor assured her. "The Doctor can take care of one version of the Great Intelligence. No problem."

"Yeah." Laura muttered. "But why me? Why couldn't he ask…"

"I would go instead but-"

"No!" Laura shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I…" Her voice trailed. "I don't know what I meant. I just…" She remembered the stories that Honor and herself both wrote about Sherlock Holmes. They were not cast in any favorable light and Laura started to massage her temples. "I just feel like it's my fault somehow since here he is and now-"

Honor immediately punched her lightly in the arm. "Stop it. I mean it." She ordered. "You and Sara have one thing in common. Both blame yourselves for no good reason."

"Well, you and Penny are often able to talk us out of it." Laura allowed herself to smile. "She never really let much phase her. I suppose that kept Sara pretty balanced."

They made it to Laura's room and started to dig underneath her bed.

"So you think Sara and Penny are like us? Inherited artron from our ancestors?" Honor asked.

"Yeah. It makes sense. Sara had so much time energy coming in and it makes sense how the Time Lord consciousness would be drawn to her, looking for that similar DNA. Why the TARDIS would give up its life to save her since she would sense the residual fragments of Time Lord DNA inside of her. Sara probably had a lot of artron and was standing at the crack at the right time." She glanced back at Honor. "Same could be said for Penny. Why the crack appeared in the tree right in front of her. Why Penny was drawn to it."

"But the Doctor only detected massive amounts of void matter and the mutation." Honor said in consideration.

"Well, your entity in Penny's mind, likely consumed the time energy in her attempt to get back to her world. Or maybe, she used it to survive inside Penny. In any case, it wasn't enough to get her through the vortex but just right for her to survive so…"

"So Penny's artron disappeared because the entity consumed it."

"Maybe recycled it. That's why Penny has all the information she does with or without the entity." Laura said in consideration. "It's just a theory." She was prying up the board.

"No that makes sense." Honor agreed. "But what about Lilly?" She asked. "Always wondered about her. You think she's from another parallel world?"

"I…" Laura paused in consideration of Lilly. "I can't say."

"Can't say?" Honor repeated. "But…"

"Lilly's not like us…like the Doctors said in 'Lost in Reality', she's something they've never seen before."

"You know about Lilly." Honor breathed. Even with her supposed temporal visceral perception, she couldn't garner details about Lilly's timeline. "But we're stuck here. What does it matter if…"

"I made a promise to Amber and even if I never talk to Amber again, I won't go back on my word." Laura swallowed suddenly missing the girl who had been so thoughtful in helping her brainstorm and had always been a good listening ear in times of need. "I only wish…"

"Wish what?" Honor asked.

"If we never make it back home, maybe Amber can sense our story, write it down. We won't be forgotten." Laura smiled briefly. "Maybe post it to my old account so that our memory still lives on."

She could hear Honor's voice started to shake. "Knowing Amber, she has good intuition. I think she will."

"She once told me that she was descended from Thor, Woden and Odin. We talked about genealogy from time to time."

"As in the Nordic gods? Myths?" Honor asked.

"Given what we know now, who knows?" Laura pondered. "A Time Lord to a human a few thousand years ago might seem like…" She reflected on the situation.

"A god." Honor concluded.

Laura nodded, taking a deep breath and stilled her emotions as she dug around beneath the floorboard for the fob watch when she suddenly felt the distinct prickles of fear. "Honor." She started. "Oh God, Honor!"

"What is it?"

"The watch! It isn't here!"

"You don't think it was the Family or the Great Intelligence?"

Laura swallowed. "The Great Intelligence probably asked me to the dance as a means to interrogate me for information. I don't think it was him. Besides, the watch won't even respond to him. It has to be in a source it trusts or the Doctor gives permission to access."

"Who else?"

Laura pushed herself back from underneath the bed. "Maybe Martha found it. Took it back to the Doctor. Maybe…"

"Beats doing nothin'." Honor agreed, as they raced down the hallway to John Smiths quarters, barging in without knocking only to catch him in a passionate embrace with Joan Redfern.

They broke apart and Joan took a moment to scold them properly. "It is impolite to rush into your father's quarters without knocking first."

"Oh, of course." Laura said and backpedaled, knocking on the door without bothering to exit. She turned to John Smith. "The watch." She started. "Do you know where it is?"

"What watch?" He asked in confusion.

"Our mother's watch!" Honor emphasized. "It is the only thing we have left of her and now its gone."

Joan Redfern suddenly became overcome with sympathy. "Oh, indeed, I am sorry. I think I may have seen it once or twice. I'll be more then happy to help you two locating it."

"Such a venture can wait until tomorrow." John Smith immediately countered as he looked at his daughters with a sigh. "The two of you know better then to come in here unannounced, however, "He paused and suddenly a smile played on his lips. "Headmaster Baker has only just informed me of his intentions to escort you to the village dance this evening, Laura. I couldn't be more pleased."

"He made it very difficult to say no." Laura told him fiercely.

"Persistence is often a vital asset." He told her. "Joan, if you will excuse me."

"Of course." Joan immediately started to leave the room. "Until tonight." The door closed behind her.

"Now," John Smith started, heading to the closet. "I do have an assortment of fine dresses that once belonged to your mother." He looked at Laura appraisingly. "I believe the burgundy one will suit you very well." He lifted another box from the shelf. "Also, since you are distressed about losing a simple watch, I have a lovely set of sapphire earrings she used to wear complete with a necklace. I think they will indeed look very striking on you."

"Please…" Laura started. "Father," She winced at the word. "I don't want to go."

"Mr. Baker has spoken very highly of you and your talents. You also made an agreement, a promise. It is most unbecoming if you break that now." He pushed the dress and jewelry in her arms. "A servant will be along to help you get ready."

"But-"

"Laura enough. If it is an escort you fret over, Joan and I will be there to observe." John Smith said calmly.

"But what about Honor?" Laura protested. "She'll be here on her own."

"Honor is barely nineteen and perhaps with more time, I can arrange for her to be introduced to court and see to eligible prospects." He ran his hand through his hair. "But it seems without trying, you managed to achieve success there yourself."

"Wait, I can't do this…I'm not ready. I-"

"One dance Laura." He started to usher both girls out of the room. "Be certain to get prepared in time."

As soon as Laura returned to her room, she collapsed on the bed. "So much for that plan."

"Timothy Latimer." Honor said. "Maybe he found it." The words were encouraging, giving her hope.

"But what about Clara?" Laura demanded. "She should be here by now!"

"Unless she's not coming." Honor whispered.

"Not coming?" The other girl felt her mouth go dry.

"What if he's not part of that time loop." Honor speculated. "What if we manifested him four hundred years early. Gave him power. He wouldn't need a snowmen army."

"But we saw Clara in 2007." Laura protested.

"She was alive at the time and lived in London. It could have been coincidence or she might have been there to stop one of the other Walter Simeon's echoes. All unrelated." Honor gave a sigh. "He isn't Walter Simeon." She stopped to think. "Somehow, it's a paradox. He might've come to 2007 because we couldn't stop him here."

Immediately, Laura shook out the dress. "You need to find Timothy Latimer. If Martha doesn't have the watch, get her to help you." She dearly hoped Honor was wrong.

"What will you do?"

"It seems I have a dance to attend." Laura's voice was grim. She knew what she would be facing but she wouldn't be alone. She also knew the Family of Blood would be confronting them there. Maybe it was fortuitous. She might be able to talk them down, convince them of what they would face in the future if they proceeded with their barbaric acts.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Honor tried to warn the school and to tell them to stay indoors but to little avail. Baines had snuck out nevertheless, disappearing nearly without a trace. Honor's warning to Martha about her fellow maid also fell on deaf ears. Oh, Martha attempted to warn her but the maid wouldn't listen and continued her venture to the pub where she too had vanished.

John Smith was entirely ignorant of these events as Honor attempted to hunt down Timothy Latimer who refused to put in a showing at the firing range.

"Permission to give Latimer a beating once he appears, sir?" A boy asked John Smith.

"Permission granted." John hardly paused in delivering his ascent.

Laura had stopped the same boy in the hall to deliver him a warning. "You will do no such thing."

"Says who?" The boy challenged. He didn't recognize the position of the weaker sex as having power over him.

"Says one in authority and if you try, I will say you attempted to attack me in the most lude and lascivious way." Laura allowed her words to sink in. "You will be expelled. A disgrace to your family. Is that what you want?"

The boy's demeanor changed. "I'm sorry miss. It won't happen again." He disappeared upstairs immediately.

It was only too soon that she had to get ready for the dance. With Martha on the lookout for the now possessed maid and Honor searching for the fob watch, it was left to Laura to play her part, which she did with reluctance.

A knock sounded on her door precisely at seven and with a sigh, she opened it to see the imposter headmaster dressed to the nines as he examined her appearance. "A delightful improvement." He told her, extending his arm, which she looked at with hesitation.

"Oh, come now. I have no interest in harming you or Honor. The two of you alone are to be credited for my continuing existence but anyone else…" He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

She swallowed, taking his arm as he clasped her hand with one of his own. Laura pressed her lips together. It was indeed going to be an exceedingly long night.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Both girls had taken care to warn Martha about Jenny, saying that the Family would use her form as a conduit for the Mother but Martha hadn't been able to find Jenny in time. At least she didn't think so. She was still agonizing over why the Doctor chose Joan Redfern to fall in love with over Martha herself who had been faithful to the Doctor, protecting him while he was the most vulnerable. Despite the girl's words of measured comfort, she couldn't help but feel rejection. The one man she had taken an interest in was the one man that couldn't return her feelings of affection.

But he had saved her life on multiple occasions and she would save his no matter what the cost. She knew the fob watch was gone but she and Honor were still scouring the premises while Martha cast her mind back on the Journal of Impossible Things the Doctor had constructed. There were true memories of the Doctor's journeys so within John Smith, the Doctor still existed. Maybe…just maybe…Martha could still reach him.

Martha began to move forward to the Doctor's quarters only for Jenny to step directly in front of her path.

"Jenny, been looking for you." Martha started. "Haven't been outside, have you?"

"Why, what's outside?" Jenny asked. She was sniffing the air deeply.

"Just, well…you…" She paused. "You're all right?" Martha examined the girl.

"I think I have a cold coming on."

"A cold…?" The way the maid was sniffling. It was just as Laura and Honor warned her about. Martha swallowed thinking quickly. "How about I make us some tea. Would you like that?"

Jenny's eyes examined her coldly. "Oh yes, please."

"I could put a nice bit of gravy in the pot. And some mutton. Or sardines and jam. How about that?"

"I like the sound of that." Jenny said without hesitation.

Martha then knew without hesitation that Jenny had been taken over by the Family. "Right. Hold on a tick."

She headed immediately down the hallway and started running down the stairs, barely suppressing a shriek as a blast hit only inches away from her feet. Quickly, she bolted into the Doctor's quarters.

"They've found us." Martha exclaimed.

Joan and the Doctor stared at her in shock at her sheer lack of propriety.

"This is ridiculous." Joan said.

"Martha, I warned you." The Doctor's voice was firm.

"I know you don't have the watch but I need you to try to remember." She pleaded.

"Remember what?" He said impatiently.

"That we're hiding from aliens. That Laura and Honor aren't really your daughters. But now the aliens have got Jenny and they've possessed her or something and we really need you back!"

He was only looking at her blankly and she shook her head in desperation. "Oh, God, we really need that watch!"

"Watch?" He said with confusion. "Oh, the watch belonging to my late wife. You and my daughters seem awfully attached to it but I don't see how it is any business of yours."

"We need it if we're going to fight the aliens." Martha was starting to broach the edges of hysteria.

"Oh I see." The Doctor seemed to muse. "Cultural differences. It must be very confusing for you, Martha. This is what we call a story."

"Oh you complete-" She cut herself off. "No, this isn't you. This is 1913."

"Good." The Doctor's tone was patronizing. "Yes, this is 1913." He was wondering if Martha had taken leave of her senses.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry but I've got to snap you out of this." Without reservation, she slapped him directly across the face and the Doctor looked at her stunned.

"Martha!" Joan cried out.

"Wake up! You're coming back to the TARDIS with me!" Martha ordered.

"How dare you. I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant. Martha, you are dismissed. You will leave these premises immediately. Now get out!" He shoved Martha out into the corridor and shut the door.

"The nerve of it. The absolute cheek. You think I'm a fantasist? What about her?" He asked Joan. "To imply that my own children aren't my daughters. That I would engage in something so sordid…"

"John," Joan counseled. "I would let it rest tonight. Laura and Honor are extremely close to her. You would only serve to alienate them further and we don't want Laura finding out about you dismissing Martha at the dance tonight. She scarcely agreed to go as it is."

He closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "I appreciate your counsel but servants cannot slap their masters without some form of consequence."

"Then, dock her wages and be stern regarding her place." Joan advised and the Doctor nodded, promising himself he would speak to her at the next available moment. In the interim, he would advise a servant to inform Martha before leaving the premises for the dance that night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"I told you that wouldn't work." Honor folded her arms across her chest, staring at Martha.

"I was desperate. The Family is here and I thought since the Doctor….John Smith remembered things to put down in that journal, he might just come back…"

"Not without the watch." Honor was adamant. She struggled to remember the episodes. Now that the Doctor had erased them, there was nothing to refresh her memory. "I think Timothy Latimer might have gone outside. Maybe all the way to the dance."

"So we should start there?" Martha looked miserable.

"Nothing left to try." Honor told her. "I know the Family will eventually head there too."

"But the Doctor is human now. They kill him…" Martha's voice was filled with consternation.

"I know. Laura got dragged along as well."

"Oh, by the headmaster?" Martha shrugged. "He is fairly attractive. Laura could do worse."

"Martha! He's not even human!"

"What!?" She looked at Honor in shock. "He's part of the Family?"

"No, he's…well…he was incorporeal. Just a mind before we gave him a body. All by accident. We were scared and together our fears manifested and…" Honor's voice trailed.

"Whose body did he take?" Martha asked and Honor looked reluctant. "You must know since he manifested a form from out of your minds. You both recognize him."

"Sherlock Holmes. A version of him in our dimension. A downright vile imitation that…" Honor swallowed. She did not want to describe the details of the cavalier attitude that character took.

"That explains his name." Martha surmised.

"The name?" Honor repeated.

"John Baker was an alias Sherlock Holmes used in the novels." Martha told her. "I remember reading them. I just had to think about it for a moment."

Honor stared at her in surprise suddenly coming to a realization. Her previous guess seemed to be correct. Like Walter Simeon being used as an avatar, the Great Intelligence had adopted Sherlock Holmes as a persona integrating his intellect into the mind of a fictional detective. They existed now in seeming equilibrium, complementing each other working to acquire new information. _But why tell us about the time stream and his grand plan? Why- _It was a ruse. He had simply been playing along knowing what was in their minds allowing them the delusion to think him merely an echo.

Honor's heart started to race. That meant Clara definitely wasn't coming. They had to face the Great Intelligence on their own but first, Honor had to get him away from Laura. Despite his assertion his intent wasn't too harm them, she knew his motive was to use them and a chill came to her as a thought of the potential weapon they could be forged into if left at his disposal.

"The dance. We have to get there." Honor said. "Right now. Keep a look out for Timothy Latimer."

Both girls headed in the direction of the village but became diverged from each other by the crowds attempting to enter the manor in which the dance was being held.

"Martha!" Honor attempted to cry out. "Where are you?" She was looking around and then suddenly she caught sight of a familiar boy and a surge of hope overwhelmed her. Could fortune be suddenly moving in her direction? Immediately, she headed to Timothy Latimer with eagerness.

Hands suddenly seized her pulling her backwards and Honor found herself struggling against creatures composed entirely of straw.

"Mother of Mine," A voice inquired silkily. "Is this the one you spoke of?"

Honor blinked recognizing the two forms that emerged who walked with a stilted gait, examining her closely. "Indeed Son of Mine. She'll make a fine bargaining chip. If we acquire the other girl, our prize will be assured." She smiled. "I heard whispers that she's at the dance. The two daughters of Mister Smith."

"No!" Honor protested. "There is nothing for you there."

"We both scented him though." Baines corrected. "No one home."

"There is a secret about him though. I've heard them whispering." Jenny smiled.

"Indeed is that so?" Baines stared at Honor. "In that case, Mother of Mine, lets take this one back to the ship." Honor felt herself being dragged backwards as she screamed for help. No one could hear above the raucous noise of the crowd outside the dance hall.

"This makes it so easy, Son of Mine." Jenny asserted. "Because Daughter of Mine is already there."

Baines smirked gaily as he examined the dance hall. "Well, it seems Mother of Mine, we've been invited to the dance."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Spare a penny for the Veterans of Crimes, sir?" A beggar implored the intelligence who simply looked at him coldly before coming to a decision.

"And what crimes have you committed that you feel you should earn a penny?" He challenged.

Laura wanted nothing but to run from this fiasco although this creep who had outright threatened her now kept a steady grip on her elbow. Where could she go? She gritted her teeth. She hadn't even done a proper Victorian waltz in three years since she participated in the last Dicken's Faire in San Francisco. _This is so unfair._

"Ah, Headmaster, a pleasure to see you." A familiar voice greeted them and Laura turned seeing the Doctor escorting Joan Redfern behind them. Immediately, he promptly dispensed of a penny to the beggar. "It is certain to be an enjoyable night."

"Intriguing, no doubt." Was the imposter's response.

"Might I say," Joan Redfern smiled at Laura, "that you look lovely. Your father tells me, your dress belonged to your late mother?"

"I…" Laura still hated this ridiculous pretense. "It's hard to remember."

"Of course." Joan said sympathetically. "But I think if she saw you tonight, she would no doubt be pleased."

"I do hope so." The Doctor said. "Rose was indeed high spirited. It is difficult to believe one such as her is gone from this world."

"Perhaps, we should adjourn inside." The Headmaster suggested. "We wouldn't want the ladies to catch a chill."

"An excellent point." The Doctor agreed. "After you."

Joan Redfern made her way inside and Laura reluctantly followed as she glanced around the room. _Where is Honor? _Her friend had simply disappeared and she had expected to see the two of them in the nearby vicinity since events culminated at that very event.

Cocktails were provided and Laura nervously sipped a glass of sherry only to feel a distinct pair of eyes coming to rest on her. It was a young child with a balloon in her hand and Laura's stomach clenched. _Daughter of Mine. _She stood up. Laura could take no further part in this ridiculous affair. She needed to find Honor and Martha so she could stop the Family of Blood. She had to-

"You're not leaving so soon?" A hand closed around her wrist and she was pulled away from the tables. "We have yet to even dance."

"What is the point of any of this?" Laura demanded, glancing back at the John Smith. "If you're just after the Doctor…"

"Merely a reflection from what was in your mind. I have little desire for anything possessed by the Doctor aside from his intellect." He smiled. "But you and Honor both felt a means of assurance by thinking that was my goal so I did nothing to dissuade that. In actuality, I have what I always wanted."

A loud voice echoed over the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Please take your partners for a waltz."

His hand rested firmly on her hip and Laura's heart beat rapidly as he pulled her closer. Flashes of memories started to play out in front of her eyes and she struggled to breathe. She didn't want him touching her. "Please…don't." She tried.

"Trust me, Laura. I happen to be an excellent dancer." He leaned in and whispered. "I know why you're so afraid. What happened in that very bathroom. But the three of us need not be enemies. There is much we can accomplish together." The music started as he moved her about with relative ease. "Did you not promise never to allow such an event from happening again?"

She immediately glared up at him. "And I won't. I-"

"Haven't you?" He asked silkily. "You and Honor are both prisoners for the sole reason that you have journeyed here from another dimension. We have more in common then you care to admit."

"I don't think so." Laura rebuffed. "I'm not a killer."

"A killer." He mused. "It depends on your perspective. I love the human mind. Treasure them, if you will. Through me, they gain immortality. They are preserved in my intellect. It is hardly death but eternal life that I grant them. One could almost see it as a gift."

"You're sick." Laura whispered.

"I am what you and Honor conceived me to be. I find this persona so readily appealing that I see so reason to change to an alternate form."

"Look, if we gave you a body, what else could you want? There's nothing else to…" Her voice trailed as he looked down at her, his smile grew and then suddenly she knew. He wasn't after the Doctor, he was interested in acquiring them and since they could manifest him into reality, he saw the potential for so much more.

"Utilizing logic to make a deduction, I see. Now you comprehend how I can shape your potential."

"No! We won't help you!" His grip tightened on her. "We can't-"

"Oh but you will. I am nothing if not patient." He was indeed eager. The power he could amass with Laura and Honor on his side was insurmountable. Earth would be his and then he could make inroads to the rest of the universe. In time, the girls would see he was giving them exactly what they asked for. Control over destinies, their own wills to be exerted. They would indeed be his weapons and now that he had a body, he was able to take action and regain all his power he left behind in the pre-universe that had ceased to exist.

"Let go of me!" Laura protested. "Please just-!"

"There will be silence!" A loud voice suddenly stilled the chatter of the room and everyone turned. Laura gasped to see the man who hosted the presence for the father of the Family of Blood enter the room without hesitation. "All of you!"

Scarecrows also entered as additional guards and Laura shuddered, feeling herself being pulled backwards towards the tables as the imposter headmaster eyed the creatures with cold contempt.

People were crying out in alarm at the sight of the scarecrows in front of them while the father of the Family of Blood merely stared at all of them coldly. "I said silence."

"Mr. Clarke," One asked. "What is going on?"

Without preamble, that unfortunate person became vaporized directly in front of Laura's eyes. It wasn't as clean and neat as she witnessed on the show. Specks of flesh and bone were left where the person stood and Laura wavered on the spot, feeling bile surge to her throat as she felt a pair of hands grip her arms keeping her upright.

"Be certain you remain silent." A voice whispered in her ear. The Great Intelligence. Of course, he didn't want such primitives to damage one of his prizes. Laura closed her eyes and started to pray silently. In the distance she heard Martha speaking.

"Mister Smith? Everything I told you, just forget it. Don't say anything." Martha was still intent on protecting him regardless of the cost. No matter how badly the Doctor treated her.

"We asked for silence!" Baines demanded, surveying the room. "Now then, we have a few questions for Mister Smith." He started.

"Better then that!" The little girl chipped in. "Mister Smith, that teacher. He's the Doctor." She smiled unpleasantly. "I heard them talking." Then she looked directly at Laura. "And he thinks she's his daughter."

"We have one already." Baines looked at Laura. "Now she'll make two. Worthwhile motivation, don't you think, Father of Mine."

"I agree." Clark said looking at the Doctor, sniffing the air. "You took human form."

"Of course I'm human." The Doctor protested. "Don't lay a hand on her. What have you done to Honor?"

"Ooo and a human brain too. Simple, thick and dull." Baines mocked.

"But he's no good like this." Jenny told him.

"Easily done." Baines raised his ray gun. "Change back."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Change back!" Baines ordered with more vehemence.

"I literally do not know!"

Jenny suddenly seized Martha and put a gun to her head while Baines headed directly for Laura.

"Get off me!" Martha cried out.

Baines reached out to seize Laura only for his hand containing his weapon to be seized and twisted to a point, that it landed on the ground at Laura's feet. "I propose that you re-examine just who it is you choose to confront. Don't you?"

"Ah, the headmaster. Come to cane me now, sir? What punishment am I due?"

"Punishment." The headmaster repeated. "I do far worse then caning. I simply consume and for one such as you, that process would be agonizing."

He instantly bent down to pick up the weapon and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Weapons discharged in various directions as Laura immediately collapsed to her knees using a table for cover. The next thing she knew, she looked up only to see the Great Intelligence had disappeared leaving no trace behind. Unlike the person the Family callously murdered, there was no flesh or bone residue left over and Laura started to shake. Was it that simple? Perhaps because he was a manifestation from Honor and Laura respectively, would he not leave a trace if destroyed? She didn't know what to think and had no time to speculate as Baines seized her arm, yanking her back to where Martha stood.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor?" Baines smirked. "Being human? Has it taught you wonderful things? Are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see how you answer this." He proposed. "Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or child? Your friend or your daughter? Your choice."

The Doctor stared at the Family, his mouth agape.

**Author's Note: **We hope this helps to clarify questions you all had regarding the nature of the Great Intelligence. He just adopted a form out of their minds based on their mutual fear. Anyway, we're well into the Family of Blood. Thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her advice and inspiration.


	7. Fire and Ice

In the interim, Honor had been dragged aboard and imprisoned inside the confines of the Family's ship for which she could find no means of escape. There was only one exit and the door was securely fastened. She was terrified and now she was a hostage, being used as leverage against the Doctor to secure his Time Lord consciousness. She struggled to breathe finding that anxiety did not help her asthma as she pressed her hands against her forehead. _Think, think, think. _She tried to tell herself but she had difficulty contriving a plan. In her anger and anxiety, she landed two fists against the wall and jumped when she heard a distinct clatter at the front of the ship.

Turning, she saw an object lying on the floor. Using her sleeve to clean the residue off her glasses, the red head cautiously picked it up and was struck by sudden familiarity.

"An actual vortex manipulator." She muttered recognizing it from the one Jack Harkness wore on the show. The look was nearly identical. Numbers on the front panel indicated the date and year with an activation switch. It looked simplistic enough for use, which was likely the idea considering human time agents traversed time with them by the dozens. She knew the Family had stolen Time Agent technology to travel through time in pursuit of the Doctor and this item in her hands was how.

Quickly, she shoved it into a pocket in her dress. When the Doctor returned to his senses, she would give it to him so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands and if worse came to worse, the Family wouldn't be able to travel through time without this device.

She tried to take a deep breath, renewing her search, looking at the buttons on the console in the front of the ship. She desperately needed to find a way off this thing. All hell was about to break loose and she couldn't be trapped here to be used as a pawn against the Doctor. Honor simply wouldn't allow that to happen.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Make your decision, Mister Smith," Mother of Mine hissed, eyes flashing gleefully. "Or…just give yourself up, give yourself to us."

"Perhaps," Son of Mine mused. "If that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge. Shall we make the decision for you?"

"I vote for the daughter," Father of Mine drawled. "What could be more painful than losing one's family?"

John Smith opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, when the Family stiffened, having scented what they had been searching for. A voice could be heard, "_Time Lord_."

"It's him!" Baines shouted. "It's the Doctor!" Scared murmurs and gasps could be heard and in the moment of her captor's distraction, Martha flipped positions with the woman who used to be Jenny and wrestled the gun from her grip. Her captor was now her hostage.

Martha aimed the gun at Son of Mine, Baines, deducing that he was the one who held the position of 'leader' amongst the family. "Don't move!" she ordered. "Or I'll…I'll shoot!"

"This one's full of fire!" He grinned, not at all perturbed by the gun pointed at his head. Instead, he causally aimed behind him and rested the nozzle on Laura's head. "Try it, and I'll shoot the girl."

"Do that, and I'll shoot your mother," Martha countered.

Baines laughter held no humor, a smile still tugging at the corner of his lips. "I don't believe you…_look too scared_." He taunted in an almost sing-song manner.

"Yeah," Martha agreed. "And I'm holding a gun. Fear makes people do things that they wouldn't normally do. Want to risk it?"

There was a tense silence, hardly anyone in the village hall dared to breathe. Finally, though, the Family stood down and lowered their weapons. Father of Mine released Laura, who backed off and got out of the way so as not to become an impromptu hostage once again.

"Get everyone out, Laura," Martha addressed her, eyes not moving from the aliens in front of her. "There's a door to the side. Mister Smith, you need to get everyone out to safety."

Silence.

"Do it!" Laura snapped. "Everyone leave, get out now!"

"She's right," Joan added. Taking charge as John's wits seemed to have left him the moment everything went south and out of the ordinary. Another man made to protest but the matron was having none of it. "Oh, not now, Mister Jackson. They're mad, that's all we need to know. Outside, all of you."

When it became clear that nothing would hinder them nor would the Family vaporize them, the people fled, screaming. John seemed to snap out of his daze, spotting Laura who had come to a stop next to Timothy, he ushered them to the door with a strong push from behind with one guiding hand. "Move yourself, you two. Back to the school, quickly. Watch her," he ordered the boy sternly before whirled back around to Martha.

She seemed to feel his eyes on her, for she said, "And you too, go on, shift."

"But…But what about you?" He asked, reluctant to do as she asked.

"Mister Smith," she told him a tad frostily. "I think you should escort your lady friend to safety, don't you?" John Smith wavered for a moment, making a motion as if to step forward before he turned around and left.

Laura was outside next to Joan and Timothy. She was whispering quietly to the young boy in a serious tone attempting to get him to run ahead to the school, when John Smith joined the three of them. Laura scowled at his approach.

"Latimer, get back to the school with Laura. Tell Mister Snell-" John Smith ordered.

"Don't touch me." Timothy warned as he shook off his professor's arm in disgust. "You're as bad as them." He glanced at Laura, who sensed that it would be better to join him and find Honor. Together they took off, leaving a conflicted John behind them. Laura managed to keep up for a little while before the corset started to hinder her and she dropped behind, struggling to breathe properly. Timothy didn't notice this and continued to run ahead.

After a pause, the young woman made to follow him, only to grasped from behind and dragged away. Her screams were muffled by the hay of the scarecrow soldier.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They are sounding the alarms," Baines drawled, a pleased smirk alighting on his face.

"Oh, don't be so eager to rush into battle, Son of Mine. This flesh is so weak; it can damage and die. That is why we need the Time Lord," Jenny scolded.

"That is why we have his daughters," he retorted. He paused. "But you are right, Mother of Mine, they will have guns. Perhaps some caution should be exercised. Sister of Mine, you're such a little thing, find a way inside and sniff around…See what you can hear."

The girl, who was once Lucille Cartwright, gave a quiet little smile and skipped off down the path to sneak her way into the school, her red balloon bobbing along behind her.

"I wonder," Mother of Mine began. "If Mister Smith's daughter are also Time Lords. If we can't smell his Time Lord essence, then they might be masking theirs as well."

"No," Baines denied. "We would have smelt more than one back on the planet. They will, however, serve their purpose as leverage." As he finished his sentence, two men exited the building. As both the previous headmasters had been killed recently and another replacement had yet to be sent for, Mister Phillips and Mister Snell, the longest-serving teacher of the school, came to confront the two aliens and their scarecrow army.

"So he was speaking the truth," Mister Snell muttered to himself. "Baines is involved, as appears one of our cleaning staff!" His once handsome face furrowed, eyebrows drawing together and wrinkles becoming more pronounced. "Is this some sort of lark that got out of hand, an accident? I have been told that people have lost their lives."

"Oh, yes, sir. They were good, sir. Have you come to give me a caning, sir? Would you like that, sir?"

"Speak to your elders in respect, Baines!" Phillips gaped. "Keep your tone civil!"

"His words are not his own," Mister Snell noticed. "But whose are they?"

"_We are the Family of Blood_," Son of Mine growled, voice deepening into something nonhuman.

"And what do you want?" Snell asked. "What has driven you mad enough to murder your fellowmen?"

"Mister John Smith. That's all we want, sir, Mister John Smith and whatever he's done with his Time Lord consciousness. Then we'd be very happy to leave you alone."

"You're not making sense, Baines," Mister Phillips ground out. "What has Mister Smith got that you want, this 'Time Lord consciousness'?"

Son of Mine rolled his eyes, tired with how dense the human race could be, how slow they were, then his eyes caught movement and light out of his peripheral vision. John Smith was watching and listening in by the open window. Baines smirked. "We have what he wants…_his daughters_." The look of horror that crossed the quarry of the Family's face was invigorating to him. "It could be a trade of sorts, him for his daughters, simple."

Mister Snell's face darkened. "Only a coward would kidnap innocent girls to use for their ends."

Baines turned to face the older man quite suddenly. "And I'm sure you know all what it means to be a coward, don't you, sir?"

"I'm begging you pardon?" He bit out stiffly.

"Yet another thing you know well, don't you, sir?" Baines gave a derisive laugh. "Do you know your history well? There's a war coming, one that the whole world will bear witness to. In foreign fields, during the war of the whole wide world, with all your boys falling down in the mud. Their wails and cries will be silenced, cowards begging for mercy."

Mister Phillips took a menacing step forward, mouth opened to deliver a harsh rebuke, but Mister Snell's clipped voice beat him to it, filled with a quiet dignity. "And I'm sure you know all what it means to be a part of a war bigger than yourself, don't you, Baines? You know what it's like to be in an unfamiliar land, surrounded by enemies who know the environment better than you do. You know what it's like to use the bodies of friends and comrades and brothers as sandbags, shields against the onslaught of weapon-fire. You know what it's like to fight and kill with your bare hands. You know what it's like to have guarded the concentration camps filled with innocent civilians who start to die slowly and painfully from hunger and disease. You know what it's like to see and experience first hand the horror of both the Boer wars and what it meant to have lost. You know what it's like to feel true terror deep with your bones and press forward anyway."

"Et cetera, et cetera," Son of Mine drawled in a bored fashion. "Enough chat." Then he aimed and shot a beam of energy at Phillips, disintegrating him to make a point. "Be a good boy and fetch us Mister Smith, would you?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Balls, complete and utter balls," Honor moaned quietly under her breath. Laura shot her a sympathetic glance before continuing to look for a way to escape their scarecrow handlers. Father of Mine, also known as Mr. Clark, had retrieved the two of them and attempted to intimidate them into revealing the location of the TARDIS. He then decided to break one of Honor's fingers to prove a point when they refused to cooperate with him. It was to the red head's shame that she howled out where she thought the TARDIS might be when he broke the second one.

She had never broken a bone before in her life and didn't have much of a pain tolerance. So when the shed of the school turned out to be empty of the time-traveling ship and Mr. Clark moved to break another finger, Laura stepped forward to reveal the actual location, the stables. Honor had taken to whimpering and cursing to herself as she cradled her hand with the broken fingers. She had apologized eight times since then and was moving to apologize a ninth time when Laura shook her head and told her it was fine. "They were going to find it eventually, anyway. You didn't know where it was and I couldn't just stand there and watch you be tortured."

"I'd probably do the same if it was reversed, don't like people bein' in pain," Honor admitted quietly. "I'm sorry I'm such a wimp."

"It's fine," Laura repeated her earlier statement and stood beside it. She likely would have broken under that amount of torture as well and both girls glanced around for metal to use for makeshift splints for Honor's fingers.

"The Great Intelligence…" Honor paused as Laura tended to her hands with pieces from her own skirt struggling to remember what she was taught in her first aide class, "Is he….?"

"I think they might have killed him but…" Laura hesitated.

"But what…"

"I didn't see what happened. He was there one minute and gone the next."

Honor winced. "He was in your other story. You said he came from another universe and…" She paused struggling to remember. "He was in Classic Who, right?"

"Oh yeah, the Great Intelligence has been around for thousands of years." Laura took a deep breath. "There was a universe that existed before the Doctor's was created, well, it existed as one of the original realities first conceived. It was called the pre-universe."

"Was?"

"Well, eventually it expanded to the point that it fell apart and ceased to exist. Remember the episode 'Listen', how they went to the very end of time when the universe was about to unravel?" Laura asked.

"Oh, right with Danny and Clara."

"Well, the Great Intelligence had a body in that universe and came from a species that was equivalent to Time Lords here. Perhaps even more powerful. They were considered nearly like gods in their universe. Anyway, he knew his universe was ending so he managed to get to a parallel universe and then to the Doctor's universe. In the transition of crossing the void to an alternate reality, something happened to cause him to lose his body." Laura frowned. "He's been trying to get a replacement for centuries to regain his power. Without it, he was just a cloud or fog…"

"Like the snow in the glass in 'The Snowmen'." Honor clarified.

"Right. He linked onto Walter Simeon and eventually reflected his persona and personality." Laura shrugged. "He's a telepath to an extent. Consumes minds, gathers more intelligence…"

"So he latched on to us." Honor's voice was flat.

Laura closed her eyes. "As a cloud, he was composed of artron so when we came here, I was just…." She shook her head. "I didn't know, I…." She had no idea they could manifest a body for the Great Intelligence subconsciously much less one out of fiction. Perhaps she should of taken it into greater account when the Roman soldiers were brought to life into Auton's from Amy Pond's children's book. It was she who managed to manifest the Doctor back into existence after universe was restarted merely by remembering him. Growing up with cracks seeping time energy from a crashed TARDIS was problematic to say the least.

Honor fell silent for a moment. "Not just your fault. We were both scared and we had been writing…" She grimaced wondering if it would have made a difference whether they could of picked a friendlier persona but judging by what Laura said and what Honor knew, regardless of body, the Great Intelligence would still be a psychopath.

"But they could of killed him, right?" Honor asked, wondering for a moment how that would impact the timeline.

"I hope so." Laura remembered with distaste how helpless she felt when he took hold of her. Just the thought of him touching her was repellant. "He reminds me of…" Her voice trailed as she came to a sudden realization.

"Reminds you of who?" Honor pressed.

Laura swallowed. Why hadn't she seen it before? Oh, she hadn't wanted to and tried everything to block David's image from her mind but now, she realized. The resemblance, her fear, redirected and given form. She had projected the terror she felt of her rapist unknowingly to a character with apparent similarities because for her, it was the safer course. A fictional character could never become a real life threat to her and would remain safely in the realm of illusion. Until now.

"It's…." Laura saw the Family start to approach and shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

The scarecrows and Father of Mine led the girls to the entrance of the school. The TARDIS was soon carried over by a team of straw men and set behind both girls.

Neither of them had a key to Mr. Clark's disappointment.

He then took to calling for the Doctor, his tone sounding much like a child calling out to his buddies playing hide-and-seek. It was somewhere between amusing and disturbing to hear from the man. He was persistent, "Come back, Doctor, come home! Come claim your prize, your family."

As if it was a cue, the rest of the Family of Blood exited the school and went to stand next to him. "Out you come, Doctor. There's a good boy. Come to the Family," Baines summoned, eyes attempting to seek his quarry out from the forest. His eyes were drawn to Honor and Laura. "Why don't you two join in? Go on, call for daddy."

When they remained quiet, Father of Mine threatened them, voice light, "Do you need more persuasion?"

"Fa-" Honor's voice cracked. "Father, Dad… C-Come back."

"Doctor," Laura joined in. "Come here."

"Time to end this," Jenny added. "Come to us!"

There was only silence to greet them. After a while, Son of Mine finally said, "One more phase and we won't have to hunt. The Doctor, Mister Smith, the boy, the watch, they will come to us. Soldiers, guard this thing. Let's lure them out, shall we?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You recognize it, don't you?" Martha asked as they peered around the bushes.

"I've…I've never seen it before," John Smith answered her uncertainly.

"Do you remember its name?" Martha pressed, desperate.

Joan watched the exchange before reluctantly admitting, "I'm sorry, John, but you wrote about it. The blue box. You dreamt of a blue box."

"I'm not…" His voice broke as a lump in his throat developed. "I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be, John Smith, with his life, and his job, and his love, and his children. Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?"

"Yes," Joan told him without any hesitation. "Yes, he is."

"Then why can't-"

His question got cut off with the scared voices of Honor and Laura calling out for him. The trio tensed as they spotted the two girls who had been accidently been hidden from view by the Family. They were now in front of the four aliens and looking terrified.

"No," John moaned. "No, not them. Not my daughters. I can't leave them, I won't. I need, I need to-"

"What we need, is the Doctor."

John whipped around to glare at Martha, voice bitter, "What am I, then? Nothing. I'm a coward who can't even protect his own daughters, is that it?" He swallowed hard, closing his eyes and shuddering. A hopeless look of despair blanketed his features as he resigned himself to his fate. "I will go to them, to this 'Family,' before they kill my only children, Rose's children. No one else will die if I go, they said they would leave."

"You can't," Joan denied immediately. Eyebrows furrowing faintly, stubborn determination made her voice firm. "Martha, there must be something else we can do."

"She's half right," Martha allowed, voice quiet. "You can't go, not without the watch."

John snapped, anger flaring in an instant. "You're his companion, this Doctor, what does that mean? Why does he need you?"

Her mouth opened without forming words and she had to gather her herself. The answer was so simple but so potent, for both herself and for him. "Because he's lonely."

"And that's what you want me to become?" Fear and incredulity replaced the anger, disbelieving at what he was hearing. For a moment, he looked as if he was about to cry, realizing exactly what her brief answer meant. "What are you to him? Who are any of you? Honor and Laura…Are they even his daughters? Are they really mine?"

"They…" Martha hesitated before carefully phrasing her next words as delicately as possible. "They're distantly related as far as I understand, through some common ancestors, the Time Lords. He cares about them. He didn't know about them until recently, can't bear for them to be out of his sight for long now that he found them."

He seemed to sense that her phrasing wasn't completely honest, that she was hiding certain elements from him. He didn't press the issue though, feeling his own morality beginning to press down on him. "So they are not his daughters, and Rose, was she even real? I'm just a story. I'm nothing."

They watched as the Family, as the two girls left the TARDIS under the guard of some more scarecrows. A rustle in the leaves alerted the trio, and they turned around to see Timothy Latimer carefully approaching them, clutching the watch. "I brought you this," he explained, offering John the watch to which he recoiled.

"Hold it," Martha implored.

"I won't." John's voice is so faint, it can barely be heard, but despite the soft volume it was firm and absolute.

"Please," she pleaded. "Just…Just hold it."

"It told me to find you. It wants to be held," Timothy told John, staring the older man down unwaveringly as he continued to hold out the watch.

"So you were the one who had the watch, all this time. The girls, Laura and Honor, they nearly driven themselves mad with worry, searching for it. Why didn't you return it?" Joan's quiet, clipped voice broke the small, tense silence that had taken place.

"Because it was waiting," Timothy told them as he took to gazing at the watch reflectively. "And because I was so scared of the Doctor… I've seen him, you know. He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun."

"Stop it." John's voice was still quiet, but it was no longer firm. He was scared, and everyone could hear it.

"He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time, and he can see the turn of the universe."

"Stop it, I said stop it," John reiterated quickly. As if saying it faster and repeating it would make Timothy listen…but there was no force behind the words, just fear and panic and denial.

"And…" The boy's voice trailed before he smiled and continued, "And he's wonderful." Martha gave a watery smile, having witnessed, at least in part of, this herself. She loved what she had seen, that wonderful, timeless Doctor.

"I've still have it, the journal," Joan spoke up, retrieving the leather bound book as everyone turned to look at her.

"Those are just stories," John Smith dismissed gruffly.

"Now we know that's not true," the matron scolded gently. "Perhaps there's something in here, something that can help." Worry lines appeared quite prominently on her forehead as her brow furrowed in deep thought. "There must be another way. There must be."

Mister Smith closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. "The watch. You said I couldn't go, not without the watch."

"No, John, don't!" He ignored her and took the watch from Latimer, holding it in his hands.

"_Closer_," it called to him faintly. "_Closer_."

"I think he's asleep," John said, almost wonderingly. "Waiting to awaken."

"Do you know…Why did he speak to me?" Timothy asked.

"Oh, you were born with a low level telepathic field. It's just an extra synaptic engram causing…causing…" John hiccupped. "Is that how he talks?"

Martha beamed. "That's him, that's the Doctor. All you have to do is open it and he'll come back."

"You knew. You…You knew all along, and yet you watched while Miss Redfern and I…" John voice trailed.

"I-I didn't know how to stop you," Martha defended herself. "He gave me a list of things to watch out for, but that wasn't included."

"Do you mean to say that falling in love never even occurred to him? What sort of man is he? Incapable of love and you expect me to die for someone like that?"

"It was always going to end, though! The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan, and that's why they need to consume a Time Lord. Otherwise, they die in three months, just like mayflies," Martha protested.

"So, I suppose that makes you my executor? For some man who can't love, some monster-"

"You have no idea what he's like!" Martha snapped. "I've only just met him, it wasn't even that long ago, but I've never met anyone like him. He's everything, just everything, to me, and you know what? He never even looks at me. Maybe you're right, maybe he can't love like that anymore, but _I don't care_, 'cause I love him to bits, you see. He's not a monster, he's a man, a broken man, and we need him, because only the Doctor can make this right, save Honor and Laura."

John Smith's face became curious at the end of the last sentence and he took to gazing at the watch once more. Somehow, this quiet and calm demeanor seemed much more dangerous than his unstable attitude earlier. A chill went down Martha spine when he said, "Everyone wants this Doctor: you lot, the Family, and even my own daughters…Thing is, I don't want him. I don't want to be forgotten and swept under the carpet. You think that he's the only one who can fix everything, but you're wrong." He inspected the fob watch considering. "If the Family wants the Doctor so badly, then they can have him. They'll leave and I'll stay as I am. I'll save my daughters as myself."

"You can't do that!" Martha cried.

"If they get what they want, then-"

"-Then it all ends in destruction. They wouldn't just leave, it wouldn't end like that. They would wage war upon us all, living and breeding forever, every child would live in fear, not just on Earth, but the whole universe." Joan cut in before releasing a shuddering breath. "If I could do this instead of you, then I would. I had hoped…but my hopes aren't important."

"He won't love you."

"I don't want him to, not if he isn't you. I had a husband once…but then he died. I thought what I had with him would never happen again, and I was half-right. What I feel for you, John, is different, special."

"And it was real, even if I'm not. I really thought…I really believed…" John swallowed unable to finish his sentence.

Joan held out her hand. "Let me see it." The matron turned it over in her hand many times. "It doesn't speak to me. I can't hear it, can't even hear it." John placed his hand over hers.

And then, they saw.

They had their wedding, felt the joy of a new and brighter future spent together, as they friends cheered and threw rice. Their home was in Nottingham on Broadmoor Street, adjacent to Hotley Terrace in the district of Radford Parade. Honor and Laura lived with them for some years before eventually marrying themselves.

They cradled their first child in their arms, amazingly born without any difficulties despite Joan's age. The baby was a healthy boy and grew quickly, his sharp mind sometimes causing him to get into trouble. Despite his tendency towards mischief and wandering off, he was a sweet child who easily took on the roles of protective uncle when his niece was born.

They strolled through the woods with their grandchild and son, heading back towards home where a meal jointly cooked by Laura and an expectant Honor was set out. Laura had her daughter and half-brother go wash up before the three women fell into lively conversation as John nodded to the two other men in the room.

They held hands as John began to breathe his last. _"They're all safe, aren't they? The children, the grandchildren. Everyone's safe?" _Honor and Laura had left to go abroad with their children.

"_Everyone's safe, and they all send their love, John,"_ came the reassurance.

"_Well, then it's my time."_ He smiled. _"Thank you."_ He breathed his last.

John and Joan gasped, both were still smiling at what they had seen. "Did you see?" He asked her. "Did you see it?"

"The Time Lord has such adventures, but he could never have a life like that," Joan murmured

"And, yet, I could."

"What are you going to do?" Martha asked subdued, almost fearful as to the answer after she witnessed the quiet moment that only John and Joan seemed privy to.

John closed his eyes. "What I must."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We'll blast them into dust, then fuse the dust into glass, then shatter them all over again!" Son of Mine declared, a manic gleam in his eyes. Honor and Laura remained huddled by one of the support beams. They had already tried to escape once and Laura sported a bruise on her face from it. Baines seemed to relish their pain.

"Super, super fun," he crooned.

They had decided that they had spent enough time waiting for the Doctor to appear and began preparations to start blowing up the village. It was unsettling to listen to the Family talk like this was a game to them, that the lives of others didn't matter. It was terrifying to know that it was sport to them. And it was sobering to realize that the two of them might not make it out of the ship alive, that the Family might just kill them before the Doctor came…if he even came at all.

A loud metallic sound could be heard, and the Doctor came into view as he pressed a button, as if he was using it for support. He tripped and fell against a column of switches activating them all. The Family didn't notice, too pleased that their quarry had finally come to them. "Let them go, my daughters. Just let them go and leave, that's all I'm asking. I'll do anything, just let them go and leave." His eyes alighted on Honor and Laura, taking notice of the bruising on the latter's face and the former carefully cradling her arm.

"Say please," Baines purred.

"Please." Smirking in satisfaction, Baines powered down the weapons with Jenny helping him.

Then she frowned.

"Wait a minute." She inhaled deeply. "He's still human."

"Now I can't, I can't pretend to understand, not for a second, but I want you to know I'm innocent in all this. He made me John Smith. It's not like I had any control over it." The Doctor gestured broadly, hitting more switches.

Mother of Mine scoffed, nose wrinkling in disgust. "He didn't just make himself human, he made himself an idiot."

Son of Mine laughed cruelly, "That's the same thing, isn't it?"

"I don't care about this Doctor and your family," the Doctor exclaimed as he approached the Family, positioning himself between Son of Mine and a wall loaded with more controls. This also placed him as a buffer between the family and the two human girls. "I just want you to go and leave my family alone. So I've made my choice, you can have him. Just take it, please, take him away!" He held out his hand holding the watch.

Baines eyes were wide, fixated completely on the device. "At last," he hissed. He took it in his own hand, gazing at the watch with a greedy hunger. Not once removing his eyes from it, he reached out and grasped the Doctor by the lapels. "Don't think that saved your lives." Then he carelessly shoved him back and into the controls, activating them as well. "Family of Mine," Son of Mine announced. "Now we shall have the lives of a Time Lord."

The Family inhaled as one the moment Son of Mine opened the watch, but it was in vain. "It's empty," he hissed, voice once again sounding inhuman from rage. They all looked at the man who hadn't moved from his position on the floor.

"Where's it gone?" He asked innocently.

"You tell me," Baines spat, hurtling the watch at the Doctor who caught it easily.

"Oh," he drawled coming smoothly to a standing position, no longer the clumsy man stumbling about and crashing into switches and buttons. "I think the explanation might be you've been fooled by a simple olfactory misdirection, a little bit like ventriloquism of the nose." He stuffed his fob watch into his pocket after toying with it, not once halting in his monologue. "It's an elementary trick in certain parts of the galaxy. But it has got to be said," the Doctor stated as he slipped on his glasses. "I don't like the looks of that hydroconometer."

He leaned forward theatrically as he gazed at what the data read. "It seems to be indicating you've got energy feedback all the way through the retrostabilisers-" He stepped next to the structure that Honor and Laura were standing next to and knocked on it. "-feeding back into the primary heat converters. Oh, because if there's one thing you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have let me press all those buttons." He shook his head at the Family as if in pity. "But! In fairness, I will give you one word of advice." The Doctor casually walked around between his two charges and grabbed their hands. He flashed a grin as the lights in the ship turned from green to red. "Run."

Then he was out like a shot, pulling Laura and Honor along behind him. The alarms blared as the ship began to overload. Honor stumbled and almost fell, but the Doctor's insistent grip prevented that from occurring. He had to let go of their hands to open the outer door. Once the task was done, all three were racing outside and not a moment too soon. The ship exploded, the force of it sending the three of them flying through the air. Debris flew around them and a large fireball appeared, an intense white-yellow flare.

The girls landed and were thrown forward, both hitting their heads against the unforgiving ground. As their vision blurred, they caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance seeming to observe them. Honor blinked trying to clear the haze away but it only steadily became worse. Laura groaned, as she struggled to speak. _No…Great Intelligence…can't be here. He's…_She couldn't think anymore. The image was gone almost as suddenly as it appeared. Both girls collapsed unconscious in the dirt just beneath them. The Doctor, however, was unaffected and sat up. He gazed down at his charges with concern and carefully turned them over before a sound drew his attention away from them. The Family had also survived.

The Doctor stood and took even, measured steps over in their direction before standing over them. He considered them all before making his judgment.

He found them guilty.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Laura groaned, blinking her eyes open to find herself in sickbay laying down on a medbay bed next to Honor who was unconscious beside her. She did remember the Doctor coming to their rescue, activating the sequence in the Family's ship that caused its own destruction. Then they all started to run for their very lives but Laura remembered feeling the heat of the blast wave and then….nothing. Nothing until she woke up here. Their outer garments had been removed, the dresses they had worn draped over two chairs near their beds leaving them in their simple, opaque chemisettes that reminded Laura of wearing a nightgown. There stood little difference between the two. She pushed herself off the bed and searched the pocket of Honor's cloak finding the vortex manipulator proud that they would be able to neutralize one threat before it would fall into another set of irresponsible hands.

Her injuries appeared healed so she headed to the wardrobe for a change of clothes reveling in the feel of modern day apparel against her skin. After two months of scarcely being able to breathe, wearing jeans and a t-shirt was indeed a luxury. She was startled for a moment to hear a noise behind her but smiled in relief to see Honor scouting around for a set of clothing.

"Glad we're on the same page." Honor told her. "You took the vortex manipulator?"

"Yeah, sorry." Laura offered. "Didn't know how much longer you would sleep and since we don't know what happened with the Great Intelligence, I wanted to have the Doctor take care of it as soon as possible."

The Great Intelligence. He was still out there. Laura was certain of it. That might have been why he visited them and taunted them posing as a waiter for their visit at the Orangery so they would now be certain he didn't perish. He was still waiting for the right moment to strike. _Enough secrets. _They had to tell the Doctor what they could about him so he could assist in getting things back on track.

"It's okay. You take care of that." Honor grimaced looking down at herself. Her ventures certainly left her feeling grimy and she wanted nothing more then to get cleaned up. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Not a bad idea." Laura acceded. "Think I'll have one myself after I talk to the Doctor."

The two girls parted ways and Laura ambled off to the console room but just as she was about to step further inside, she froze and shock suddenly took hold of her as she bore witness to the sight in front of her.

_No, no, no, no, no! _She mentally screamed. Her voice had left her as her eyes widened seeing the Doctor drag a bound Jenny through the open door of the TARDIS sending her screaming out into space to the very depths beneath. Laura's brain started to idle. _The event horizon of a collapsing galaxy to be imprisoned there forever. _She clasped a hand over her mouth, shaking her head in silent denial. _No, he promised us. He stood right there and promised us both…he…._She could hardly breathe. _He's a liar. _Immediately she stepped back into the corridor and quickly turned and fled back to their rooms. She had to warn Honor. Tell her that…

Then she heard Honor's screams echoing from inside her room and instantly, Laura pounded on the door. "Honor, it's me. Open the door!"

Honor immediately obeyed, gasping in panic. "The mirror! I saw her! The little girl. She's trapped in the mirror and she was beggin' me and I couldn't help! I tried but she was stuck." She sobbed, "I could see it! It wasn't just Daughter of Mine, the little girl, Lucy, she was trapped inside too, and the Doctor….he imprisoned them…he put them in…"

"Hell." Laura finished. "He created for them his own version of hell." She closed her eyes. "I saw what he did to Jenny. It was horrible…I…they didn't deserve that!"

"But he swore to us." Honor attested. "He promised us…"

Laura released a shuddering breath. "We have to get out of here."

"But where?" Honor asked. "He'll find us. Wherever we go. You know what happened before and…"

"And we gave him a chance." Laura began to feel incensed. "He has the nerve to tell us no second chances?" She pressed her lips together. "I still have the vortex manipulator. We use it to get out of this time period. He can't find us if he doesn't know 'when' we go." She lowered her voice. "Grab your stuff. All your tech. Put it in your bag and I'll get mine. It will probably come in handy."

"And then what?"

"We wait for the TARDIS to return for him to talk to Joan Redfern and to pick up Martha. Probably best not to mix one time traveling equipment with another. Then we leave." It wasn't just that. Laura was sure the two of them both wanted to give the Doctor a piece of their mind before they left. Now, they would definitely find their own way home. Jack would be alive throughout the future decades and he would surely help them or otherwise get in touch with sources that would provide them assistance.

Their agreement struck, they gathered the equipment from their rooms and kept resolute in their silence as the TARDIS returned to 1913 so the Doctor could bid his final farewells to Joan Redfern before returning to his time machine. It was there that they waited, their expressions grim, staring at him with absolute disgust as he approached.

He seemed to examine his two charges who stood only a few feet away from the TARDIS, their glares speaking volumes regarding some offense he committed toward them and he placed his hands in his coat pockets attempting to offer a disarming smile. "Weeeell, I know the last two months haven't been easy. I've put you both in a difficult position but you helped look out for me and I am grateful. Maybe if we all calm down, we can just talk." He tried.

"Talk?" Laura asked caustically. "You broke your promise!" Now she was seething with anger as she stared at the Time Lord.

He stared at her in confusion. "What are you…" His voice trailed as he started to put the pieces together.

"Stood there and lied to us!" Honor accused. "Promised you wouldn't torture The Family of Blood but what did you do?" She threw up her hands. "Do you even know how to keep your word?"

"I'm sorry," The Doctor started. "Just listen to me a bit. I had to-"

"Had to make them suffer for all eternity." Laura said in disgust. "Oh no, you couldn't kill them. That would actually be merciful because hey, you're the Doctor aren't you?" She took a deep breath. "So what is more cruel? Having a creature suffer agony for eternity or letting them die?" She shook her head. "You're nothing but a coward!"

"Definitely not the Doctor." Honor was hurt more then she could even fathom. "We both made a deal with you. Said we would be honest with you." She beckoned to Laura. "She let you destroy almost every fucking thing she had from home because she believed you. We listened to you, _Doctor. _Guess fear isn't a superpower for you." Honor was quoting Clara directly. "You broke your deal with us and we trusted you! We actually TRUSTED you!"

"They threatened both your lives and-"

"And I didn't see them torturing anyone. Did you, Honor?" Laura challenged.

"Nope, not a one."

"You're worse then they are. At least they killed quickly. You…" Laura's voice trailed thinking of each of the Family's horrific fates.

"Doctor, what is going on?" Martha was approaching concerned.

"You're sure he's still the Doctor, Martha?" Laura asked snidely. "He just delivered eternal torment to the Family while the souls of the ones they possessed are still trapped inside."

"Doctor, are they…" Martha looked at him and for a moment his demeanor frightened her. "Please, tell me that's not true."

"Things changed." His features darkened to a degree. "Mercy." The Doctor muttered. "I used to have so much mercy but I'm so old now." He shook his head. "They get one warning and they started to kill." He shook his head. "That was it. No second chances."

They both stared at him aghast feeling chills run up their spines at the use of that phrase.

"You sentenced them to hell!" Laura shouted at him. Immediately, she took Honor's hand, clutching the vortex manipulator in her pocket. The device was already set and she simply needed to press the activation button. "We are done with you."

"That is not a decision that either of you can make." The Doctor informed them. "You are in my custody therefore-"

"Maybe you should of thought of that before playing god and sentencing creatures to eternal torment, breaking the promise you made to us!" Laura accused. "So, what is it you just said? Oh, that's right. 'No second chances, right? You're not that sort of…" She paused and smiled. "man, I suppose. Well, neither are we."

"Laura stop." The Doctor knew he had to reassert control quickly. He was starting to realize he made a mistake but if he could just explain himself, if they would listen...

She felt for the device in her pocket and glanced over at Honor. The Doctor didn't realize they had a vortex manipulator and if the two of them played their cards right, well her plan, no matter how contrived, just might work. It was surely worth a try if it earned them their freedom.

She lifted up her hand, waving it through the air and closed her eyes. "There. I can feel it." Laura looked over at Honor. "I think that's the vortex. Can you feel it too?"

Honor was surprised, but quickly caught on. "Oh, yeah. Unmistakable."

"And all we have to do is focus on being somewhen else. Good-bye, Martha. It was nice meeting you. Good-bye, Time Lord. Can't say it's been a pleasure."

Both girls were holding onto the hidden vortex manipulator when it was activated. The Doctor didn't know they had it. So, when they jumped away it looked like they'd disappeared by will alone. With any luck the Doctor would fall for it. With any luck he would think it was pointless to try to follow the girls when they could jump away to another place and time simply by concentrating on it. With any luck... he would let them go.

The device caused disorientation and blurriness at the edges of their vision but they were no longer in 1913 but in an alley that led to a street where many classic vehicles were swiftly passing by.

"Where are we?" Honor managed to croak. That form of travel wasn't as easy as it looked on television.

"1960's San Francisco. Good place to lay low for a while. No computers, background checks. We can make identities." Laura offered Honor a weak smile. The travel had effected her as well. "It's a fun decade. Hippies, protests, fighting for equal rights…"

"This is your home." Honor marveled at her surroundings, looking at the buildings with distinct awe. There was a certain classic vintage feel about them. "Always wanted to see San Francisco."

"Well, then Honor Rae," Laura started. "It would be my pleasure to take you on a tour."

With money manifested between the two, they began their exploration of the City not even seeing the shadow that lurked in the alley behind. The figure smiled. Oh, the girls belonged to him and he knew, he would always follow and be watching every move they intended or even considered to make.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, the Doctor was left sputtering, running his hands through his hair in aggravation as Martha stared at the scene in astonishment.

"But.. but... but.. How's that even possible!?" He whipped out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan the area, and started to panic when he saw the residual time energy readings.

"It... It is. I don't know how, but it is. It's possible." The Doctor started to run into the TARDIS sputtering all the way with Martha in pursuit.

"Doctor, what's happening?" She pleaded. "Just tell me! What are you saying is possible? Where did they go?"

The Doctor didn't seem to hear her as he headed directly to the controls beneath his monitor tossing his coat aside in haste. "No. There's just no way," He was speaking quickly. "I've got to run some scans."

He instantly activated the hyperspatial-mass sensor and Time-Line Flux Adjuster while reconfiguring his central scanner to focus on psionic resonances. He looked impatiently at the calculations that came in, frustration lining his features. "Nothing is making sense!" He exclaimed to an already confused Martha who simply watched the Time Lord move about the console in a nervous frenzy.

"Doctor, tell me what's going on!" She demanded, finally stepping directly in his path where he was forced to look at her.

"They're gone. That's what happened and I don't know how." He was breathing quickly. "Should be impossible but…but…" He had never known a human being capable of going through time purely by sheer will and if that was the case, the danger to the universe was even worse then he could fathom. _They're anomalies. Something I've never seen before. To transport without magnetic interference, the vortex is unstable to simply negotiate. The time winds alone…_The Doctor was thinking hard. No human should survive the vortex but these girls weren't simply just human anymore. Again, his hands ran back and forth through his hair as he desperately looked at the Gallifreyan that was pouring onto his monitor. Somehow, he had to find the answer. These girls had manipulated time and he had no explanation forthcoming of how they managed such a feat. He was the Doctor and a Time Lord, the very last of his kind and as such he was determined to render a solution to his charges sudden remarkable ability.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three hours had passed when the Doctor had finally completed a thorough assessment of the area, he finally achieved a result from the completed scans he conducted. Muon energy and Taranium discharge was located in the area in small quantities where both girls had been standing. He grasped the coral branches and promptly felt like smacking his head against the wall. The answer was unbelievably simple, yet he allowed himself to fall for a simple parlor trick. He should of known right away from when they first disappeared but he failed to recall the Vortex Manipulator the Family had in their possession.

Obviously, it came into his charges hands and upon finding out about the consequences he served on the Family, didn't hesitate to use it. He groaned, not relishing the palpitating headache throbbing between his temples. The TARDIS was starting to calculate the trajectory based on the muon and taranium trail left behind for which at that point, he would need to retrieve them.

"Did you find them?" Martha asked. "How were they able to disappear like that?"

The Doctor closed his eyes before looking at his companion. "Martha, have we ever talked about time agents?"

"Time agents?" Martha frowned. She was uncertain what Laura and Honor had to do with the subject at hand unless…

"Are you saying Laura and Honor are time agents of some kind?" Martha raised her eyebrows. "Sort of like police but for time?"

The Time Lord groaned, shaking his head. "No! The girls are…weeeell, they're not time agents but they got a hold of a time travel device off the Family's ship and pretended…" His voice trailed. It was too humiliating even to say.

"That they could travel though time at will." Suddenly Martha started to laugh and the Doctor looked up at her with a scowl. "Oh come on, Doctor, you have to admit, it is a little bit funny." She shook her head. "The way Laura moved her hand around saying…" She could hardly breathe from the sudden image that popped into her mind as she gave into the mirth that overcame her.

"Riiight. Yes. She 'felt the vortex'. So very funny." He folded his arms across his chest as an alarm chimed from the console and he looked at the results. "Might not think it's so amusing when you see where they landed."

Martha glanced up at the Doctor, feeling a sudden wave of concern as she headed to the front of the monitor to where he was standing.

"What do you mean? Where are they?"

"Not quite fixed on their location but definitely not on Earth. They're completely off planet and unprotected."

"But you'll get them back, right? We'll find them?"

The Doctor's face was suddenly grim.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh, the sixties were some of my favorite years in history," Honor gushed. "I liked the forties through the seventies, very nice decades…Wonder where we are in the sixties? Actually, do you know where we are in California?"

Laura frowned. "Well, at first I thought we were near San Francisco…but now, I'm not so sure."

"How so?"

"The roads aren't that hilly; it's too flat here. Not to mention I have yet to see or, at least, _smell_ a eucalyptus tree."

"Eh, what?" Honor blinked, puzzled. "I thought those were native to Australia."

"They are, but they planted a bunch of them here a couple hundred years ago so we have a lot in this state too."

"That's…not good."

Laura gave her friend a questioning look. Honor Rae hurriedly expanded on her statement. "Not the trees! …Well, _yes_, the trees, but also the hills. The fact that you can't spot 'em, especially if they're super common, doesn't sit right with me."

"Dimensional difference?" The brunette offer feebly. Neither girl bought the weak explanation, and both had the foreboding sense of _wrongness_ with the situation. If that hadn't bothered them when it did, the aliens approaching them from behind would've managed to catch them off guard.

As it was, their caution cost them precious seconds as the group approached them from all sides therefore cornering them. Initially, neither girl realized that the group in front of them were aliens at first. They appeared to be human, at first, with ginger full-on beards and manes of hair. They had large noses and their upper lips was shaped a bit oddly. Other than their faces and the fact that they all looked very similar to each other for a handful of men, nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

Until Laura spotted a fluffy pair of feline-like ears on the top of each man's head.

It took Honor Rae a bit longer to notice this feature, as she no longer had her, completely destroyed, glasses. When she did, she was reminded of the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz film. Unfortunately, these lion-like people did not have a heart of gold, nor did they possess a tail.

Their faces were stern and impatient. "It would be easiest if you didn't resist," one of them informed the girls. "You are outnumbered and there is nowhere that you can run."

"Are we trespassin' or somethin'?" Honor asked albeit hesitantly. "If we are, we can just leave."

"No," another told them simply. The Americans found themselves slowly backing away as the aliens steadily closed in on them. "You both are now property of the Tharils. All humans found are to be taken and sold as slaves."

In a surge of terror, did they attempt to flee in panic only to be at once rendered unconscious by a quick burst of a stun mechanism on their device, before being promptly carried off without further hesitation. They had been warned but simply chose not to listen.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They awoke finding themselves in a warehouse having been utterly stripped of everything they could have rightfully called their own. It was pure degradation when they found their own clothes had even been taken to be replaced by the standard female slave attire. A burgundy tunic cut low across the chest with a matching skirt, a slit up both sides. It left little illusion of what purpose they would be utilized for as slaves and both girls looked at each other, their faces blank with horror.

The one brief ray of light in this otherwise bleak situation came when Laura rouse to consciousness to see a familiar face looking at her. She was stunned to silence.

"You resisted, didn't you?" The girl asked, offering her a cup of water. "I did too at first but…" she grimaced, glancing at Honor who was rubbing her arms. "The pain doesn't last."

"Beth, is it really you?" Laura couldn't help herself and Honor immediately looked at Laura raising her eyebrows.

"Have we met?" Beth asked. "How do you know my name?"

"I…." Laura swallowed. She looked just like her best friend. Even her gestures were exactly the same and Laura took a deep breath. "You look like someone I knew and…" Her voice trailed. Despair clung to her. What were they going to do? Her bag was gone and with it the last reminders of her own universe. The last gift from her family was eradicated and she felt tears come to her eyes.

"It's all gone." She whispered. "They took everything and I can't even stop….this." Laura's promise to prevent another indignity was being rendered meaningless. She was shaking on the inside as she looked at Honor. "I'm sorry. I should have been more careful. The vortex manipulator. I must not have checked the location so when I set it for San Francisco…"

Both girls knew that multiple planets had done imitations of cities on Earth as a facsimile for which they had now found themselves in. Laura had a bad feeling when she didn't smell the Eucalyptus trees that had been planted all throughout the City and in contrast the streets here were flat compared to the sloping hills that one found themselves often having to hike.

Honor's face was bleak. "The Doctor. He might figure it out." She shivered. The clothing did little to protect from the drafts of cold air that came into the warehouse. "You know him. Not one to easily fool."

"Yeah." Laura said emptily as she glanced around. Maybe this was her just desserts. Her hell being served to her for all her deceit she committed but did Honor have to pay for her mistakes?

"Who is the Doctor?" Beth asked and Laura looked at the other girl, swallowing her grief. She needed to at least give them both some hope. Didn't they deserve that much?

"Beth," Laura breathed, staring at the very image of her best friend right in front of her. She wrapped her arms around her chest, feeling far too exposed in the clothing they had forced her to wear but everything else had been taken. Honor and herself were informed of their place by the Tharils. They were nothing but commodities to be bought and sold. _Happening all over again. Can't stop it. _Laura gave a shudder and took a deep breath. She had one hope and it was from the very alien that had put them in this position in the first place. She detested the irony of the situation. "A man…he might come for us." She closed her eyes wondering whether the Doctor bought their trick. If they did…._my fault…I put us here. _She tried not to think as she looked at the very face of her friend. "If he does, you can come with us. He'll take you away from here."

"Th-that would be nice." Beth whispered. "Maybe I can have a child. I can keep him this time. When I got pregnant…" Her voice cracked.

Honor looked at the girl who shared their cell. "What happened?"

"Held me down. Killed him." Beth closed her eyes. "I felt him dying. They blamed me, told me I should have been more careful." She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "It's my fault that he's dead."

It was a more sinister echo to what happened to Beth in Laura's reality when a Navy recruiter seduced her, using her vulnerability and then when he found she was pregnant, berated her into getting an abortion. Beth never forgave herself and Laura swallowed.

"None of it was your fault. You have to remember that." Laura told her fiercely. "We all make mistakes from time to time. Do you…" She paused in thought. "Do you believe in something bigger then yourself? Forgiveness?"

"Maybe…" Beth said. "I used too."

Laura glanced down at her rosary. It was the only thing they let her keep, deeming it worthless. A silly trinket, they concluded, so they left it with her. She took Beth's hand and pressed the rosary into her palm without hesitation.

"It's…what is it?" Beth asked examining one of the beads on the chain.

"Forgiveness." Laura explained and Beth gave her a hesitant smile. Even if she didn't fully understand the nature of what she was handed, perhaps some part of her intuitively knew.

"Thank you." The other girl whispered as she looked at Laura and Honor. "They'll come for us any minute. The auction…" She started. "I'm sorry."

From the girl's face, Laura and Honor could only fathom how terrible the process would be and indeed their very fears proved accurate.

Their wrists were chained as they were dragged out onto a waiting platform of the very replica of Pier 39 just next to the carousel where a jaunty tune was playing while children giggled, waiting in line for their turn on the ride paying no attention to the debauchery occurring next to them. They had been told that humans were no better then animals with an intellect to match. Of course, they would pay them little regard since their parent's hegemony was incorporated into their minds since they could learn how to read.

Laura had seen '12 Years As a Slave', envisioning an auction to simply acquire a labor force, which was detestable enough since a woman was forcibly ripped away from her very children. Regardless, this was far worse then what she had seen in the theaters. Honor and herself were forced to endure the poking and prodding of various aliens as they were examined. If they resisted, they were struck and forced down on the ground where neither could scarcely breathe. At this point, Laura knew death was a better option then where they would be heading. Tears came to her eyes. _God, please…._What was that prayer they so often wrote? That she knew from Church? _For the sake of Your Sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and the whole world…_Honor's eyes were closed beside her. She could tell she was praying too. There was nothing left but to hope for a miracle that might never come.

"Untouched you say?" One alien asked the auctioneer. "Heard that before."

"Oh, but these are considerably rare. Recently acquired. Traveled here through time. Able to understand our languages."

Both girls wondered whether the artron in their system made them able to understand the Tharil's language considering the fact that they knew with relative certainty the TARDIS wasn't planet side.

"Time sensitive?" The question was abrupt. The Tharils prided themselves on their ability to ride the time winds and negotiate the vortex.

"No, they traveled here by means of a device. That was how we were able to sense their presence."

It was rather confusing to both girls. Time sensitivity to the Tharils meant something different then it did for Lilly's Doctor. As far as they could tell, it only described an ability to travel through the vortex and sense other time travelers.

Honor released a groan struggling to move as Laura did likewise.

"Not very obedient." The prospective buyer said.

"They merely need to be broken in." The auctioneer implied.

There was a weighty silence. "Two thousand mazumas for the pair." He relented. "I had better be satisfied."

"Oh indeed you-"

"I have a counteroffer." A dreaded, yet familiar voice interceded.

"Counteroffer?" The auctioneer hesitated looking at the newcomer. "You have an interest-"

"In acquiring your latest commodities, I presume you are willing to accept a higher bid." The voice was flat.

"Oh God, help us." Honor whispered. "It's him. He found us."

Laura was frozen in terror only scarcely having a small glimpse of what the Great Intelligence would force them to do once he had them in his grasp.

"I thought we had an agreement. I-" The potential buyer started to argue.

"Seven thousand mazumas." The intelligence cut him off smoothly leading observers to gasp. Such an amount was unheard of for a pair of simple, human slaves and the other buyer sneered.

"A waste. Two thousand was generous."

"I am fortunate in that regard to see the inherent value lying beneath the surface." He turned to the auctioneer. "Is my offer accepted?"

"Oh, it is, sir. If you will just authorize the transfer." The auctioneer was greedy, never anticipating this turn of fortune when he laid his hands on these humans. Luck was definitively smiling down on him today and he grinned as a quick series of authorization codes transferred the currency to his account.

"Now then, assist them in arising to their feet." The Great Intelligence ordered and immediately the girls were pulled up right.

"No!" Laura screamed. "You can't give us to him, you-"

Her words were choked off as one of their handlers wrapped his hand around her neck. "Slaves do not speak!" He lifted his hand instantly to slap her and she flinched anticipating the pain.

It never arrived. His wrist was seized in mid air by the intelligence who glared at the man coldly. "As of now, they are my possessions, my commodities to be dealt with as I see fit. I will see neither of them further marred by you. You have already inflicted your fair share of damage that I will be forced to attend to upon our return to my residence."

Laura was instantly released, falling to her knees and she looked to her side blearily noticing Beth glancing in her direction. She was gesturing to her. Telling her something. What was she trying to say?

A hand took hold of her forearm and she was dragged upright along with Honor in the grip of the Great Intelligence, which unlike his Sherlock Holmes counterpart was utterly intractable.

"Freakin' psychopath!" Honor accused as she struggled to pull away. "Get off of us."

"How disappointing. A small show of gratitude for my efforts to rescue you from what surely would have been a degrading experience would not be unwarranted." He paused. "Wouldn't you agree, Laura?" He was referring directly to her prior sexual assault.

"Because being vivisected by you is so much more preferable?" Laura refused to rise to the bait.

"Vivisection while imaginative is sloppy and would not lead to justifiable results. My methods are far more particular." His response sent a chill through them and Laura flailed, turning to take one last look at the image of her best friend when she realized what the gesture meant that Beth was so anxiously giving.

"Go limp." She whispered to Honor. "Get down."

Both girls sagged to dead weight, falling to their knees and Laura's command seemed to come right in time as a sudden blast rocked the premises, knocking everyone down. Chaos ensued, alarms blared as pieces of wood and cement lay everywhere. There was also….blood. At that point, they couldn't tell who it belonged to. Shock filled their systems as they struggled haphazardly to their feet. Alien bodies were scattered around them. Were they alive or dead? Laura couldn't tell.

They tried to move only to find that the Great Intelligence hadn't relinquished them and had barely been phased by the explosion. "A clever display." He observed. "But the fact remains, you both will continue in my custody." He started to drag them forward when he suddenly went stock still, collapsing forward and the two girls stared in shock to see a knife protruding out of his back with Beth emerging forward as their apparent rescuer.

"How did you…" Honor started to ask.

"Ignited a fuel tank under the platform. Managed to-" She cut herself off looking behind her. "No time. We have to get out of here. They're coming!"

Honor and Laura nodded, immediately starting to run with Beth, heading away from the ruins of the platform in the direction of the city streets as bursts of light railed around them.

The Great Intelligence while temporarily stunned by what Laura and Honor's accomplice had done, reached around, deftly removing the blade from between his shoulders before tossing it to the ground with seeming disinterest. A surge of self healing artron immediately closed the wound and he gave a brief sigh, shaking his head as he pulled a weapon directly out from underneath his coat, taking careful aim before shooting once, allowing a smirk of self satisfaction. It hit his target squarely and now task complete, he moved forward with purpose readily anticipating reacquiring his quarry.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They made it to the city streets where they curved into Fisherman's Wharf and scurried into the depth of the alley as they tried to seek out a hiding place while Beth leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.

"We have to keep goin'." Honor told them urgently. "Can't stay here. He won't be that far behind."

"Who is…" Beth started, struggling to breathe, her arms bracing herself against the enclosure, keeping herself steady. "Who…" She tried again.

"He's…" Laura didn't know how to explain the Great Intelligence but she knew the knife wouldn't deter him long.

"A nut job. Psychopathic alien just pretendin', wearing a disguise. Didn't even have a body before."

Beth looked at them blankly and Laura didn't blame her but now was not the time. They could hear voices coming down the street, more specifically his. He was swiftly hunting them down, closing in on their location.

"Laura. Honor. As much as I commend your determination, it does you no benefit to force me to pursue you. I am readily capable of finding you regardless of where you intend to hide." Laura shivered hearing his voice seeming to radiate off the walls, malevolent in its purpose and Honor clenched her fists. "No, we can't let him catch us." Grabbing the two other girls by the arms, she pulled them forward. Neither Laura or Honor noticed the blood dripping on the ground as they pulled aside two pieces of rotted wood to an otherwise boarded up warehouse, which appeared then abandoned.

"We'll run through and-" Honor started.

"No…" Beth murmured and she started to slump between the two. "Can't do it…go anymore…..I'm…" She was falling to the ground and instantly Laura turned, seizing her arm only to notice the blood dripping from the other girl's back.

"Beth!" Laura cried out, struggling to think. _So much blood…need it to stop…compress. _A few rays of light shining through the rust tinted windows in a darkened room only lighted their temporary refuge. "I can…" Beth had collapsed to her side and Laura pressed her hands to the wound but the blood only seeped through her fingers. "I can…" She felt herself choking as her breathing became staggered. "….will stop it. Have to…" She couldn't think straight anymore. Honor had fallen to her knees staring at Beth, to stunned to speak.

"Please," Laura begged Honor. "Help me make it stop." Honor reacted, pressing her hands in a joint effort to save the girl's life, which they both knew but didn't want to admit was starting to slip away.

"Lord help us." Honor started to pray. "God please…"

"God…" Beth murmured. "That's who…" Her hand opened to reveal the rosary that Laura had given her. "Didn't know His name."

Laura closed her eyes unable to suppress the tears that caused her vision to distort in front of her. "Beth, please…not now. I can't…" She remembered what it was like being forced to say goodbye before her best friend deployed to Afghanistan knowing she might one day receive that dreaded phone call telling her Beth wouldn't return home. She cried that night, feeling as though she lost her so completely and now….here she was, fading away before her very eyes.

"Glad I met you….to see you….didn't have a friend and you two…"

"My best friend." Laura whispered, her hands shaking. "Just, please….he might…the Doctor might…." Maybe that hope was too remote but she couldn't bear this. She simply didn't know how.

"Sorry…" Beth managed. "Wish I…." Weakly she put the rosary back into Laura's hand. "I see it now…" A smile appeared on the girl's lips as her breathing shortened but she appeared to be looking just over Laura's shoulder, off into the distance.

"See what?" Laura tried. She glanced around in desperation. Had the Doctor indeed found them? But, no. There was nothing there. The three of them were alone.

"Forgiveness." Beth said faintly as her hand went limp in Laura's as the light faded out of her eyes.

"No." Laura started to gasp, breathing hard, shaking her head in resolute denial as she started to shake Beth, hoping to prompt her return. "No! It's wrong! It's all wrong…it can't end this way. It should be me! I always said, I would…I told her…I said…." A heavy weight lay oppressively on her chest and she was shaking frantically as Honor attempted to put an arm around her.

"It can't be this way….can't do this!" Laura screamed jumping to her feet, clutching her head. "It's not real…just fiction…this isn't…I won't do this! Keep losing her….everyone. Can't it all just stop?" Honor was simply frozen looking at her. "Why can't it all just stop?!" In an act of sheer grief, she lashed her fists against the window, which broke into several shards of glass under the weight of her emotional torrent.

"Laura," Honor gasped, seeing the familiar shape of the TARDIS materialize inside the room. Somehow, despite what they had done, the Doctor had found them, but….she looked at Beth…no, just her body now laying still on the ground. He was too late. Grief and shock took hold as she could only watch the scene, feeling the latent edges of despair. Laura was right. How could they keep doing this? Laura was…instantly, the red head looked up to see her friend and her eyes widened. Laura was grasping the sharp razor edges of what remained of the window pane, letting the glass sink into her palms as blood started to pool on the floor below. She took a step forward but the Doctor had already emerged, quickly assessing the scene, moving swiftly, wrapping his arms around Laura and pulling her backwards as she shrieked in protest.

"Laura, it's alright. It's me. The Doctor. I-"

That did not help matters as Laura started to scream. "No, you're not real. Just fiction. Can't be real. She can't be dead…tried to tell her…" She flailed against him. "Not real…I can't…" Laura felt the pressure of his fingers on her temple and she attempted to cry out in protest only for fatigue to strike her like an undulating wave. She collapsed against him, for the first time that Honor could be certain of, blissfully unconscious.

He took Laura inside the TARDIS as Honor stayed outside, thinking even though Beth's soul had finally found peace, her body shouldn't be left alone. Not like that. In this decrepit area, it was a miserable place to die. She glanced down, seeing a gleam of metal, recognizing it as the rosary. Laura must have dropped it by accident and Honor shakily picked it up, wrapping the beads around her fingers. _Our Father, who art in heaven…_A hand fell on her shoulder and she scarcely glanced up.

"I'm so sorry." The Doctor offered and she shook her head. It was just mere words. Did he ever mean them at all?

She didn't respond, having nothing to say and silence reigned for several minutes before the Doctor spoke again. "Honor, we need to get you inside. You should be in sickbay." He insisted. Honor breathed in sharply as she felt his hand move to her forearm, prodding her to her feet with relative ease as she was maneuvered back inside the TARDIS.

"Laura…" She finally said. "The girl out there. She would want to…" Her voice trailed as nausea took hold and she leaned against the coral that lined the console. _Bury her. We need to bury her…_

"I'll take care of it." The Doctor assured her, assisting her to the sickbay interior where she saw Martha already waiting, concern lined her expression. Laura was on a bed with that dreaded IV back inside her arm.

"No, Laura doesn't want that. She told you before…"

"It's temporary, Honor. She's dehydrated." He spoke soothingly as he managed to get his charge seated on the adjoining bed, while Martha, acting instinctively retrieved an item from a drawer and handed it to him. "You both are."

"No, I'm fine." Honor shook her head. "I just need…." What did she need? "Kiley." She looked at Martha. "Need to talk to her. Make sure she's okay. Not angry at me, anymore. I can't lose her." She protested as she tried to get to her feet. "Not like how Laura lost Beth. I have to check-" She felt a needle pricking her skin and glanced down in panic to se the Doctor wielding a syringe already injecting the contents directly into her arm. "No!" She protested as she tried to pull away but it was too late. Whatever he gave her was exceedingly fast acting and she immediately collapsed on the bed unable to resist the weight of a drug induced slumber for the second time since stepping onboard.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ship was dematerializing, leaving only a trail of blood behind as the Great Intelligence approached and watched, his demeanor rigid as the TARDIS finally vanished right before his eyes. He allowed himself a diffident shrug. It didn't matter where or when they went. He would find Honor and Laura where ever they chanced to hide after all, their link was perpetual. Perhaps, they merely needed a reminder. He could traverse time so easily and upon returning to Earth he smiled finding them sitting at a table in a tea house as he, decided to take on the role of a waiter and began to approach. It would be rude not to at least say 'hello'. In this time frame, this would be their introduction.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What about "No Second Chances?"" Laura asked pointedly. She knew they were in the vortex. As long as the Doctor wanted, they were trapped with him. They had woken from sedation only to find themselves once more stuck onboard, their anger had temporarily overcome their grief when the Doctor found them in the console room, telling them they all needed to talk.

Laura glared at him. It was her fury that was driving away the agony of what happened. It was what was helping her cling to the remote edges of sanity. Her best friend….no. She couldn't think about it right now. She just wouldn't.

The Doctor looked at the ground. "I made a mistake," he said plainly. He glanced up at Laura. "I'm sorry." The Doctor ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah right," said Honor. "Haven't heard that one before. It's practically your catch phrase. I'm sorry. So, so sorry." Honor mimicked the Doctor's voice. She was angry too. It was far easier then remembering what she endured. Thinking about how Beth died. _What if it was Kiley…_

He nodded toward Honor. "I know." The Time Lord's frown deepened. "I'm a coward. And I was cruel. And I..." The Doctor cleared his throat. "I wish I could say it won't happen again. But I can't. All I can do is apologize, and try harder."

The room stilled, and everyone was silent.

"Oh! C'mon," Martha shouted, startling everyone. She jumped up off the seat she'd been quietly sitting on. "You're as bad as my parents." The dark beauty shook her head. "Everyone here has made mistakes. EVERYONE!" She let out a frustrated groan, and spun around. "The grown up thing to do here is forgive. He's sorry. And it takes a lot to admit it when you've cocked up. So, give him some credit. It's not like you're perfect. How many mistakes have you made since you've been here? What is it you call it? Changing his time line? What about things you've done, intentionally done, that you regret? And don't tell me you don't have regrets, because everyone does. How would you feel? How would you feel if you were him? How would you feel, if you cocked something up, you knew it, and apologized only to have it thrown back in your face!"

"You don't understand," started Laura. "If he screws up, there won't be a universe left to apologize to!"

"He's going to do it again," chimed in Honor as she started to rant. Her jaw clenched. "Only next time he'll intentionally break a fixed point in time. He'll be screaming like a lunatic. "The laws of time are mine. And they will obey me..." She stopped. Her words caught in her throat, realizing what she'd done. She looked at the Doctor, panic in her gaze.

"Honor?" Laura looked at her friend, fear in her eyes. Had they just created a paradox? "What have you done?"

The Doctor looked at the girls seriously. He took in a long slow breath before speaking. All thoughts of apologies were forgotten. "I think," he paused, "the two of you need to explain that one."

"We can't." Laura swallowed. "Just..." She wrapped her arms around herself. "We can't." She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," whispered Honor. She ran from the room. Laura immediately went to follow her friend. After everything they had seen and endured together, neither one of them should be alone. Laura had been shaken at Honor's words but she knew the Doctor had read 'Lost in Reality' and such similar verbiage was used. She took a deep breath. It was driving them both of them mad, envisioning paradoxes everywhere they turned and this time she needed to offer her friend the reassurance Honor had so often given her.

The Doctor's hand landed on her shoulder preventing her from exiting the room and despite the fact that she tried to pull away, his grip remained firm.

"Laura, please just talk to me." He insisted and she turned.

"Talk to you." She repeated. "That's all we've been trying to do. Talk to you. I heard you out, handed over almost everything I had from home for you to destroy. I allowed myself to trust you." She swallowed as tears threatened to emerge. "The iPod. They took it away. It's all gone now. There's nothing left and then, I had to watch her die. He shot her to slow us down…to get to us. Meant nothing to him and I know it wasn't Beth from home but then, right then, it made no difference…I had to WATCH her DIE! We both did…" She was breathing hard. "All the while you played human, the Great Intelligence was there tormenting us and you left him be alone with me. He threatened to kill people if I didn't go to that dance and you encouraged it….wanted me to…" She felt bile in her throat and she turned to Martha. "Oh, I've made mistakes. Yes, I regret. I listened to him! You can come and go as you please but we can't. There will never be a time where we can say we had enough. Do you really think being imprisoned is such a great way to live because maybe you should do to me what you refused to do the Family. Might be a mercy if you kill me now!" She heard them both gasp.

"I wouldn't be a risk! I wouldn't be around to burden you! I…" She choked on the very visible lump in throat now fully realizing what she had just said. No wonder the Doctor had thought her suicidal before and suddenly she fought with renewed determination to simply run off and disappear into the bowels of the ship, not to be seen for days on end. Misery loved company and she was content to be a party in her own despair.

But he took a firm grasp of her other arm, a look of infinite sadness in his expression but at the same time determination. He had made strides with Laura before and he wasn't about to lose her now over a mistake. Seeing the agony clear in her eyes, he reacted, putting his arms around his struggling charge and hugged her as she flailed, trying desperately to get free.

"Laura, I've seen too many people die." His voice was gentle. "I'm not going to lose you too." He heard her muted sobs as her thrashing weakened, her legs unable to support her as she started to sink to her knees to the floor. He came right down with her, pulling her against his chest, where she sank against him as she continued to weep. "I simply won't let that happen." He told her firmly. "Not to you and not to Honor."

"Can't.…no more….not after Beth…." She could hardly speak as she cried. "Please….don't want to….I can't…." He had relaxed his hold on her but she was too tired to fight him. Everything was gone, stripped from her. Each memory she brought from her universe simply taken with simple disregard. Now Beth was gone too. One more loss added to the pile. She didn't know how much more she could take.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor shook his head glancing down at the human in front of him. There was more at risk then before if the Great Intelligence had indeed been given a body unwittingly by Laura and Honor. There should have been time to talk to them about the principles of artron energy, that it was the foundation of all matter and time in the universe but he hadn't had the chance. He then taken to shatter their fragile trust by breaking the promise he had made to them. If only he kept his word….in the depths of being the Oncoming Storm, he felt only his fury at he took vengeance on the family. He thought it was his right after all he had been forced to give up. He retained all the memories of being human and remembered the feelings of attachment he had to both girls thinking they were his daughters. His affection for Joan had been so real and when he felt their lives threatened….

Laura fell silent as she closed her eyes. He was never going to let them go. She would be trapped here for the rest of her life if some calamity didn't kill her first or the Great Intelligence had his way….she shuddered at the thought of the monster she and Honor helped to create. Flashes of memory occurred right before her eyes and she nearly began to drift, allowing herself to float as she closed her eyes. She was simply to tired put up a meaningful struggle at this moment and was too lethargic to even try.

Eventually, the Doctor carried her back to her room and placed her on the bed, promising to return after he spoke to Honor. She didn't respond as he covered her with a blanket before proceeding out of the room, merely content to stare listlessly at the ceiling until Martha arrived with another bowl of vegetable soup. Laura declined the meal and when Martha tried to insist, Laura merely turned on her side away from the companion.

The Doctor had broken the deal they made. There was nothing to compel Laura to continue the obligation she had established. Maybe she was foolish to have made such a bargain in the first place, since, after all, the Doctor always and has continued to lie.

**Author's Note: **As always thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her inspiration and hope despite its depressing nature, you find it interesting. We do appreciate the reviews as they help us to anticipate direction. Hope you all will have pleasant holidays.


	8. And We Run

"Laura wouldn't eat." Martha reported to the Doctor with a wince. "She refused and Honor's gone wandering about. Can't find her." She paused. "Maybe they need more time."

'_The laws of time are mine and they will obey me.' _The Doctor shook his head as he approached his monitor and started to pull up all this files that he backed up to the TARDIS from Laura's external hard drive. The story 'Lost in Reality' gave him some insight to their fear but he knew he was missing the very tale of Sara's origins. Honor's story might be on here as well and he opened the ghosted copy of Microsoft Outlook's sent file.

"No." The Doctor stated emphatically. "This needs to be worked out and I can't do it without all the facts."

"Well, they're not going to tell you." It was endless stagnation in the vortex where time simply stood still since they weren't taking part in the events of any particular planet. For the last few days, the Doctor had remained firm that they stay here to ensure the girls recovery and attempt to rectify the promise he broke to them.

"I may not need them to." He was putting together the pieces of their stories rather like a haphazard puzzle, chapter by chapter. Laura's was listed by chapter name while Honor's was simply saved under different test file versions. He ran his hand through his hair as he pulled closer the monitor, taking a deep breath and started to read. By the time he finished, his pressed his hands to his forehead. True they were incomplete but it was enough to leave him shaken. One version of him abused his charge, promising to lock her up in her room for the rest of her life while the other committed a betrayal of a fundamental trust stated in the opening paragraph. _These are the timelines they picked up. _He thought with a frown. _What am I going to do?_

They were wary of him because they believed parts of these stories would come to pass. He felt himself alive with hope for a moment at the mention of Rose in both stories. Could she really return to him? He grimaced at the thought of giving Rose to a human version of himself. How could he even consider it? What if….?

He gave himself a brief shake. It was merely an alternate timeline. Rose was gone and eventually she would move on with her life as would he. These girls he kept on board for better or worse were the distant descendants of Time Lords and now more then ever, he was responsible for them. He simply refused to lose them. Especially not after everything he had already lost. Not after Gallifrey and certainly not after Rose.

The Doctor needed to ask for a second chance even when he promised no such respite to many of his opponents and he swallowed, rocking back on his heels. Was he such a hypocrite? _No second chances. I'm that kind of man. _He thought back to the Time Lord Victorious in Laura's story accusing Sara of committing murder when she simply was trying to save the universe. That same man left her strapped to a table, unable to move for days on end. Then there was the Doctor from Penelope's timeline who threatened to lock her onboard the TARDIS for the rest of her life. He briefly closed his eyes. _Would I really do the same? _The betrayal that she suffered wasn't detailed as the story hadn't reached its conclusion but the Doctor knew it had to be significant. Likely affiliated to the Time Lord Victorious. This was who they feared him becoming.

He began to walk with purposefulness down the corridor growing steadfast with determination. _I won't let that happen. _He swore privately. _I will not turn into him._

Of course his track record with promises left little to be desired. His face became grim. In the meantime, he had his charges health to attend to.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Slow, even breaths were the only sound in the room for hours. Eventually, Honor Rae took in a deep breath and stretched, joints popping. Eyelids fluttered open to observe the stars above her. Intuitively, she knew that the TARDIS was really inside the Vortex and the scene she was looking at was probably a hologram, but she liked to imagine that it was real and that they were in space.

In her story that she never got to finish writing, the observatory in the TARDIS was where the lamp on the exterior of the police box appeared to be. The outside was smaller than the inside, obviously, a pocket dimension. It was similar to being on the top level of a lighthouse, with a giant beacon in the middle of the room.

This was not the case here.

Or, she just hadn't found the right observatory. It was entirely possible.

Not that she cared all that much, but it would've been cool if she had been right.

Bonelessly, she flopped onto her stomach and rested on the piles of soft blankets that she had found in the hallway closet that was in the same corridor as the bedrooms. Honor wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep again, but she had slept too much already. There was no chance of her going back to the Land of Nod anytime soon.

Despite her best efforts of the past few days, her mind kept trailing back to Beth, her final moments, all the blood, how the life visibly left her body… She didn't look as if she was asleep, she looked as if she was dead.

_Why did there have to be so much blood?_

Honor Rae had never seen a dead body in real life before. Once, she had went to a wake with Kiley when the other girl's father had passed away on New Year's Eve. Even then, he had been cremated, with there being only ashes in an urn. It hadn't really clicked with the red head that he had passed away, it was just a fact that her friend's father was no longer with the living. A fact that didn't emotionally impact or affect her to any extent other than the very fact that her friend and self-proclaimed sister was suffering. That was what had hurt Honor, the idea of her friend, her sister, was grieving and distressed.

The thought that she was mildly detached from the world around her occurred to the teenager more than once throughout her life, as some things didn't seem to affect or faze her as much as they should have. Her reactions, usually negative ones, tended to be brief and intense before dissipating away like they had never existed. Honor just tended to be unable to dwell about it for very long, unless it was something extremely serious and distressing to her mental state of equilibrium.

Like, say, a new found friend dying in front of her very eyes.

Death was an ugly thing, she decided, a horrible and terrible event. Honor feared it now. The idea of death, of ends, terrified her. Not just her own eventual death, either, but everyone's death. _I don't want to die_, she thought. _I don't want to see Laura die, either_.

It was a real fear, death, when traveling with the Doctor. She knew that people had died because of the Family of Blood, but it hadn't clicked with her. It was just another fact. Maybe it was because of how she was born in the generation she had been in and how death was broadcasted every day on the five o'clock news. How death seemed to be almost glorified in modern horror (more like slasher) movies, how death became an abstract and desensitized topic for her culture. Or maybe something was just wrong with her.

People die.

She understood now.

And she hated it.

There were very few things that could make her simmer and stew over negative thoughts and feelings. Injustice happening to the people she called her own, for instance. When Laylin bashed Kiley's face into the sharp metal bar and Honor saw the blood oozing out of the other girl's mouth, a cold and violent rage overtook her. She had frightened Kiley then and had, apparently, frightened Laylin too, because the coward took off running. She didn't even touch him. She didn't have to. Her expression was enough to speak volumes of the level of hurt he would have received if he had stayed.

Then there was the righteous anger she gained after years and years of Tai's crap that she had to put up with. All the memories of hurt and fear and helplessness bubbled over and she had finally stood up for herself. She walked out and immediately went next door, sobbing and trembling with anger on the snow covered porch. She called her grandparents and moved in with them. Her step-father's psychotic tendencies couldn't have been more evident when the reason for what set him off was revealed.

A corndog.

He had simply gone off because he was convinced that Honor had lied about how many corndogs she had eaten by her phrasing: I had one, Kenzo had one, Mama had one, and I had another. He declared that she had been lying and that Jesus hated her.

The fact that he was pagan and had no business in bringing her Faith into question, as well as him being arrogant enough to decide what God was feeling in relationship to her, had been the final straw.

Then there had been the week that she thought that she had lost Kiley as a friend forever. It had been a simple misunderstanding, proving that proper communication was always key. That week separated from what she considered a sister had been agony. That was the closest she had ever come to grieving, of this grief that she was experiencing now. The loss and the sadness and anger, it was all there.

Anger.

She usually didn't have a problem with that emotion too much. Ever since she had been sent here, anger continued to pop up, a reoccurring emotion that felt almost unnatural to her in the fashion it was being used. Usually she had a reason for being this angry, this upset, but one that would satisfy her need for an explanation to her actions refused to appear, not to mention the streak of pettiness. Even when she was out of her mind with rage, she was mindful of which lines to not cross and which words would be going a step too far.

It had to be the grief; grief of losing her home and grief over Beth, it was only explanation.

Either that, or she was sick and having a psychotic break.

Neither explanation offered any comfort to Honor as she hunkered down in the television room and watched episode after episode of _House MD_. Apparently, there was a Huge Laurie in this universe too. The show, however, left her with a nagging feeling of familiarity, and not just from the show itself but the main character, Gregory House.

She only made the connection when a certain Time Lord entered the room. _Twelve_, she thought to herself. _House reminds me of the twelfth Doctor_. The current object of her musing quietly took a seat next to her and watched the rest of the episode with the teenager. When it ended, she said, "I always used to tell Kiley that I thought it would be the funniest thing if she watched a medical drama, any one of 'em. Also told her that every time she'd tell me one of 'er tales from work, I'd play the sound track of '_General Hospital_' in my head, cheesy dramatic music 'n' all. She scoffed and told me to cut it out, but she didn't mean anythin' by it. I could always tell she thought it was funny."

"Sounds like the two of you were close."

"Are," Honor corrected. "We _are_ close. Just 'cause I'm not…" Her voice cracked. "…not there anymore, doesn't mean the world ended… It'd be conceited of me to think so. M-Most likely she just doesn't remember, 'cept in dreams maybe… Anyway, I'm sorry, you know? What I said…it wasn't right. I wasn't thinkin'. I was just mad, angry. I'm sorry."

"A reoccurring theme with the two of you," the Doctor noted.

"It's easier to be mad than sad, Doc," the teen murmured. "I'm-I'm-I'm not usually this angry and I doubt that Laura usually acts that way either. She lost 'er friend, Beth. To be honest, I'm surprised that she hadn't lost her m-marbles. I know I'd lose it if I had to watch Kiley die. Never loved a friend like…like I did with her, called 'er my sister, and with Beth…" Tears started to fill Honor's eyes. "She died tryin' to help us. I-I didn't know her hardly at all, but I liked her, was hopin' that we could do somethin' to-to help _her_. Then she died. The guy who bought us, he…he shot her. We didn't know until it was t-too late, all that blood…"

The girl buried her face in the blanket and took a deep steadying breath. Willing away the tears. She was tired of crying. She had been doing that for the majority of time since she ran out of the medbay. That and sleeping. Lifting her head back up, she croaked out the question, "Beth, did you…did you get her body? We need to bury 'er. She-She deserves as much."

"Yes," the Doctor answered as he studied his charge with no small amount of pity. "I'm making the arrangements. How are coping? You don't sound all that well." He could see her face faintly with the light provided by the giant television screen, but the rest of her form was cocooned in the large, furry blanket. He was having a hard time making an assessment of her health in their current surroundings

"I'm just tired…been sleepin' a lot lately. Don't feel like doin' much of anything." Her words rang true with the Doctor, he could hear the exhaustion in her voice and wondered if she had been having residual trauma expressed in the form of nightmares from her time in the slave trade and the death she had witnessed. "Just want to be left alone. No offense. Don't feel like seein' anyone."

"It's not good to dwell on memories like that," the Doctor chided gently. "And seclusion isn't usually a wise idea for a person who's grieving."

"When Kiley's father died, I knew when she needed to have someone around to talk to or to just stay with 'er. Thing is, I knew that there were times when she just wanted to be alone 'n' wanted people to just stop apologizin'." She smiled bitterly. "Thanks for carin', I guess, but…I just want to be alone, if that's alright with you? A rain check on whatever you _really_ wanted to talk to me about."

The Time Lord frowned. "There doesn't have to be an ulterior motive for me to check up on your wellbeing, Honor..."

"But?"

"…But it wasn't the only reason for me being here," he reluctantly admitted.

"Then it can wait. Please. I just…I need time. I'm getting there, I promise. Besides, it's not like I can go anywhere, anyway."

With a sigh, the Doctor conceded, standing up from the chair he had been sitting in. He examined the girl in front of him for a moment before telling her, "Fine. But we will have to talk, whether it's now or later." Then he left and Honor returned to watching her show, dismissing the encounter and forgetting her grief for another forty-five minutes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's time that we talked, Honor. There is something that we have to…" The Doctor's voice trailed off as he took in the Minnesotan's appearance. "You've lost weight," he stated flatly.

She shrugged. "Not intentionally. Happens when a person gets sick."

He frowned before taking out his sonic screwdriver. He approached her and started to scan her from head to toe. When the device got too close to her face, Honor batted it away. "Stop buzzin' me."

"You're not sick," he informed her, stowing away the sonic and crossing his arms.

"Feels like it," she muttered as she drank from a large glass of water. "Always get tired and thirsty when I am. Don't get hungry much either." She set the empty glass on the counter and turned to face the Time Lord as she leaned against the sink. "What does it matter anyway?"

The Doctor groaned, "You can't do this. Start starving yourself. You know it's not a good idea. Laura already has an eating disorder brought on by her need to-"

"I'm not starvin' myself," Honor protested, completely repulsed by the idea. "What you have to worry about is me _over_eating. Weren't you already concerned about my weight, with me bein' overweight… ?" She shrugged. "But you know what? I don't care what I look like, I'm fine with bein' fat. Means I last longer in survival mode," She joked. At the Doctor's look of disapproval, she groaned, "Look it was just a joke, the survival mode bit. I'm not sensitive about my weight, and I wouldn't starve myself to death or just in general. I eat when I'm hungry and sometimes when I'm not. To be honest, losing a little weight probably wouldn't hurt me, I'm…well, I guess _was _at leastthirty pounds overweight. I probably weigh just as much as, if not more than, you do."

"It looked natural," the Doctor refuted. "It looked healthy on you. It was proportioned evenly for the build you have… Now you look as ill as you feel. If I hadn't just completed a scan less than a minute ago, I'd be convinced that you_ have_ contracted an illness!"

"Look," Honor snapped. "I'm not tryin' to kill myself or gain attention or anything. I'm just not hungry. I've been makin' sure to at least attempt to eat something once in a while. Something soft and easy to digest, but I feel bloated and nauseated afterwards, okay? Sometimes, I do get hungry and I'll eat, but for the most part, I'm not, alright?"

"Fine," the Doctor grounded out before changing his mind and shaking his head. "No, not fine. Your grief is affecting both yours and Laura's appetite negatively. I can't risk the both of you passing out constantly from lack of-"

"I won't!" Honor cried out. "Look, the longest I've been like this was a few months because I've had mono. Otherwise, two to three weeks. It hasn't even been two weeks yet. It'll right itself."

"But what if it doesn't, Honor?" The Doctor demanded. He remembered Laura claiming the same thing to him when he first tried talking to her.

"Then I'll give you full permission to intervene with my eating habits, alright?! Give me a pill or something that increases my appetite! If I don't go back to my usual self in another week or faint or something, have at it. I'm fine, I'm not goin' to die, alright? Now, what did you want to talk about?"

The Time Lord was unsatisfied with this arrangement that Honor was attempting to negotiate. His stance on Laura's eating habits encompassed Honor's too. He just hadn't thought that he'd have to worry about her starving herself as well. Actually, quite the opposite. The teen had been right about him holding a vague concern about eventually having to restrict her diet and how it might conflict with having to increase Laura's. He did, however, tell the truth about how it wasn't negatively impacting her health as it could have. She was fortunate by how the extra weight distributed itself to where it looked natural. He found himself preferring that she kept the pounds, as she looked healthier with them than without.

If this wasn't a phase as she insisted it was, then he would take full advantage in the permission that she had given to interfere. If she was concerned about weight, even to the point where she couldn't admit it to herself, then there were healthier ways to shed pounds than carefully controlled starvation.

"I wanted to try to rebuild the bridges I burned." He extended his arms. "A truce."

The red head scoffed. "Yeah, and that worked so well last time. When you claim to trust someone…you don't _really_ trust them. Sure, there are exceptions, but for the most part, you don't trust anyone but yourself. Me? When I say I trust someone, I give them the benefit of a doubt and, usually, trust them completely, implicitly. You've done a lot of things that made me not want to trust you and I still took a chance, _Laura_ took a chance. You've broken that vase once, Doctor, it's goin' to take more than a little glue to fix it."

"And how can I even try when the shop clerk won't let me buy the necessary supplies?" He retorted.

Honor opened her mouth to say something but frowned, looking troubled and unable to think of a retort. After a moment, she dropped the metaphor entirely, deciding to be honest. "Look, I...I want to believe you. It'd be easier than runnin' around in circles like a bunch of headless chickens, but I'm...I'm not entirely sure that I didn't make a mistake last time. I don't want to get hurt again, and I definitely don't want anybody else to, either."

The Time Lord grimaced deciding to drop the use of the metaphor as well while he examined the human in front of him. "You don't want to get hurt." He repeated and shook his head. "Seems that you already had your fair share of that soooo is that really what you're afraid of?" He considered her. "I made a mistake. I know I did and I do intend to fix it." He put his hands into the pocket of his coat and rocked forward on his heels. "Question is, Honor, is this really about preventing yourself more pain?" He looked at her directly. "From what you've been doing since you returned, it seems the opposite."

A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled from behind Honor's lips before she quickly swallowed it. She rubbed her face with a shaking hand before resting it there on her cheek. "You talkin' 'bout my eating habits? I told you. It'll sort itself out. I'm fine, no worries." A thought seemed to occur to the girl. An idea sparked from what was looming ahead, of her nightmares featuring the Master, based loosely on what the Doctor had planned on doing to the other Time Lord. "Actually...why _do_ you worry? It'd be easier on you if you didn't, less trouble. You could just...you could do anythin' and we couldn't stop you. You could just keep us on the TARDIS forever, lock us in a room where we couldn't hurt anyone, couldn't hurt ourselves, but you...you don't. I-I don't understand."

And it frustrated her to no end. She was used to being somewhat able to guess pretty accurately what made a person who they were based on what she knew about them and from being around them. Honor couldn't get a read on the Time Lord in front of her, hadn't been able to since she met him, which was why he was so intimidating to her. She knew what he was capable of, but she didn't know what his limits were. With Tai, she knew how to handle him, most of his triggers, what to avoid, how far she could press before she had to swallow her pride and give up...She knew what her step-father motives were, what was important to him. With the Doctor, she knew none of that. She didn't know his motives, what he wanted from her and Laura, how far he would go just to prove a point, what he was willing to do...

Not knowing made her powerless to help, to fix, to do anything. Being powerless, helpless, scared her, because then, what use was she?

She had to know. She needed to know. "Why?"

"Weeell, despite what you might think, I don't want either you or Laura or feel like prisoners." He sighed; knowing the manner in which he took responsibility for them had been intimidating. He had to be firm given their risk to the universe and to themselves. "I took you both onboard for your protection and after everyone I've lost, I do worry about you." He ran his hand through his hair. "When you do things that are actively harmful, I get concerned." He looked at her. "When you pulled your little disappearing act, do you want to know how much time it took to find you?" He paused, raising a hand before she could speak. "Nineteen point two hours spent entirely at the console triangulating the trail the vortex manipulator left behind only for the Tharils to lead me to believe for two very frightening minutes that you both died in an explosion." Those moments had felt indeed very long and he winced briefly at the memory. "Buuuuut, I found your signatures." His voice softened. "I only wish it was in time to save your friend." He frowned. "You ask me why I worry. It's a fair question. I only intend to keep you both safe but I would still like us to be friends."

He saw her pained expression. "I know. There is a trust issue. We have to work on that but also, think about this. I am the last Time Lord and you have ancestry to Time Lords you didn't know about. You have abilities that have been passed down to you from my people. I can help you with them if you give me the chance." He offered her a smile and hoped the other girl would consider what he had to say. Humans when it came to their free will were particularly stubborn and he had seen this already in his two charges. When she asked him directly, he meant it. He never wanted them to feel like prisoners but neither one could afford to leave his supervision given what they were. He was all the more protective of them considering the fact of their ancestry. Here he thought he was the very last Time Lord and through circumstances he hadn't determined in its entirety, his path came across two descendants of his people already demonstrating remarkable traits of their forgotten ancestry. "I'm here if you need me, Honor. I'm not like the Doctor in the other time lines. I have no desire to lock either of you up in your rooms." He shook his head. "Never been in the habit of imprisoning my companions. I want to give you as many choices as I can while you're under my supervision but your safety is paramount so I will check up on you and intercede if absolutely necessary." He gave a sigh. "I can't lose either of you again." His voice was firm as he thought of Gallifrey, Rose and so many others that had slipped through his fingers. "I won't."

The Minnesotan was stunned by his declaration. A warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed in her chest and she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face, though most of her expression was hidden by her hand. Despite herself, Honor found that she was inclined to giving the truce another go. He seemed like he cared, willing to try again despite the trouble it would probably cause him. However, a pervading sense of doubt prevented her from doing so and her smile faded. She had been honest when she said that she wasn't sure of whether or not she had made a mistake last time she tried to trust him. Honor hadn't liked the feeling of falling flat on her face the last time she made a leap of faith-well, more like a trust fall-with the Time Lord, and regardless of what he thought, she really didn't like being hurt.

Her judgment might be flawed, but surely Laura would know better, be able to perceive the truth and act upon it? The other woman was older and wiser than Honor, herself, and would know how to act. The Doctor should try to talk to her, not to Honor. The teenager pushed away from the counter, her hand dropping to her side. She avoided eye contact with the Doctor. "Go to another supplier."

"What?"

"That's the answer to your question, about the shop clerk, I mean. If you can't get your glue there, go to another supplier. This one's currently out of stock, and it might be a while until the next shipment." She felt a bit silly but staunch in her resolve, brushing past the Doctor and out of sight. _Why that metaphor? _She wondered, shaking her head, heaving a sigh. She grimaced. _Why not? _She didn't care anymore. She had to talk to Laura first.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was perfect stillness in the library, which was far more then Laura could hope for when she snuck out of her room in order to obtain another novel to take her mind off of Beth and the images of her death that constantly played through her nightmares. In two days, she had become increasingly claustrophobic refusing to answer the repetitive knocks on the door from either Martha or the Doctor. Honor...she knew the other girl had her own grief and ordeal to cope with. Both had their trust broken and ended up in a precarious situation due to their own desperation. That bargain they both tried to make to ensure promises were kept and ensure honesty didn't seem to last long. Perhaps inwardly, Laura should have expected this since after all, the Doctor in his nature lied. Then why was she so entirely disappointed?

Laura shook her head as she finally located the book she was in search for. 'The Moonstone', by Wilke Collins. She briefly thought back to the episode where the Doctor met Charles Dickens and wondered what it would have been like to meet the famous author. Especially since he and Wilke Collins were best friends and published together in the same newspaper. Just the same, with the Gelth, it was probably best she didn't interfere and chance making errors such as Lilly that would cost even more people their lives. So much like Beth who died at the hand of the Great Intelligence just to slow them down. So much like...

She swallowed, blinking away tears, taking a deep breath as she began to head out of the library only to nearly run into the Doctor as he stepped directly in front of her. Attempting to steady herself, she made to veer past him only for him to circumvent her attempt and she looked at him stonily, folding her arms across her chest. 

"What do you want?" She gazed at him warily. "I was just leaving."

"I thought we could talk." The Doctor leaned his shoulder against the door frame, effectively blocking the exit.

"Not interested." Laura said. "Tried that once. Listened to you. Even made that deal and look where that got me. Where that got us." She paused. "Honor and I...we're just so naive..." She closed her eyes briefly, backing away feeling dizzy as she moved. No. She would not show her weakness here. She remembered there being two doors out of the library and started to cross the room in search of the alternate exit.

"Laura," the Doctor sighed. "Laura just wait," he called after her. The Time Lord grimaced when she didn't even turn around. He paused, taking in the seriousness of the situation before making a decision. The Doctor stepped into the room, pulling the door closed behind him. The ominous sound of all the library exits locking echoed throughout the room. He patiently leaned up against the locked door, crossed his arms, and glanced at the ceiling before letting his eyes drop back to Laura. Enough was enough. It was time to fix things.

Laura struggled futilely with the knob. She heard the definitive click and knew the TARDIS would not act in contrast to the Doctor. She felt cornered and alone. Her book fell to the floor from her clammy palms. "Why?" She challenged, turning on him. "Why are you doing this? I just wanted to be alone!" Pressing her hand against her forehead, she took deep breaths trying to still herself. At least...at least, there were no mirrors here. She didn't have to see Lucy trapped inside every time she chanced glancing at one. One more reminder of his broken promise. Would he ever attempt to rectify it?

The Doctor pushed himself off of the door, and came to stand a few feet in front of Laura. "If that's all you wanted, I'd leave you alone. But Laura, you're not eating. And I can't ignore that. I won't."

"Oh well, maybe you should of thought of that when you broke your word." Laura shook her head. "We did EVERYTHING you asked! Honor and I helped Martha protect you when you had no clue who you were! We stuck by you for two months and didn't run off." She swallowed. "Want to know why?" Laura looked at him definitively. "We thought we could trust you and then broke your promise without a second thought." She lifted up her chin. "So exactly why should I keep mine?" She took a deep breath. "No second chances right? No one will take advantage of me again. Not you, not anymore."

"Are you finished?" The Doctor gave Laura a pointed look. "What you're doing has nothing to do with my mistakes." The Time Lord raised his hand before Laura could cut him off. "You had this eating disorder before you met me. Yes. We had a deal. Yes. You helped keep watch over me when I was human. Yes. When I saw how many people, how many children The Family murdered, I took extreme action. And Yes. I regret it." The Doctor gave Laura his most serious look. "And I'm doing EVERYTHING in my power to rectify the situation." The alien took a step closer, and softened his tone. "That does not give you cause to commit slow suicide. And don't tell me that's not what you're doing. Because it's pretty obvious."

"I don't have an eating disorder!" She immediately countered. "I eat once a day. Big freaking deal. Half the people that were in my major did the exact same thing. It's called stress." Why was she even bothering? It was pointless given his expression yet she resented the term, feeling privately slandered by it. He never believed her from the beginning even when she tried to rectify her bad eating habits from school. But even if she had been taking in a proper diet, her decision to go on a hunger strike would have remained the same. The two were mutually unrelated and now…well, now food was the only means of control, the only leverage she had left. "You want me to start eating again then let us go." She knew what was coming. The episode 'Utopia' would bring with it the arrival of the Master. If they remained outside the proximity of the TARDIS, then they wouldn't remember 'the year that never was', just the same as the rest of the population on the planet. "We'll stay with anyone you want on Earth but not here. Anywhere but this place. That's my bargain." She thought of Honor. "That is _our_ new deal."

"Pfft," the Doctor scoffed. He took a step back from Laura and sighed. "That's not going to happen." He brought his fingers up to massage the bridge of his nose before locking his gaze with Laura once more. "There's no one in all of space and time who can protect the universe from your abilities better than me. But that's beside the point. You're using eating as a means of control instead of a means of survival. And that's... Weeell." He rocked back on his heals. "That's an eating disorder." The Doctor pursed his lips. "If I had to guess, I'd say it stems from the lack of control you had during your original assault. And your condition has been exacerbated by continued situations where you don't feel like you have control in your life. Present company included."

Laura threw her hands up in the air. "Whatever. I can't waste time trying to convince you but then, right now, it's my choice. It's one of the only choices I have left. Everything else has been taken away! All of the things from home destroyed. I have nothing left but this decision I get to make for myself." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I won't change my mind so maybe you should take a chance and change yours." Her father had told her about hunger strikes when he served in the military and Laura wouldn't let her resolve be shaken. Bad eating habits from school stress did not an eating disorder make and she knew that with fervency. Laura had to remain self-determined. She simply could not allow him to intimidate her. Not this time.

"What if you had another choice?" asked the Time Lord. "What if you had another option? A way of fixing it. A way of feeling like you had control again." The Doctor paused to see if he had the girl's attention. "I have a deal for you."

"What sort of deal?" Laura asked warily. She was suspicious. Was he attempting to offer a compromise of some kind? She didn't know what he meant by 'fixing it'. What was he going to fix? Was there a way to avoid the calamity that the Master would bring that she didn't anticipate?

"There are several options." The Doctor smiled to himself. She was actually listening. That was an improvement. "What if you could erase every hurt, every heartache, every memory of fear and powerlessness you suffered when you were assaulted? Or what if you could simply dull the memory? Or what if you could remember the event without feeling traumatized when you think of it?" He looked down at the human. "You know I'm a Time Lord. And from what I've read in your stories, you know I'm a powerful telepath. I could do that for you. I could help you. And if you let me help you, I won't try to control your eating habits anymore. You'd gain back the sense of control your attacker stole from you. And you'd gain a little more control over what you do on my TARDIS too. I know it's not the complete freedom you're craving. But I think it would help. And I think you'd be happier." The Doctor took in a deep breath, hoping Laura would listen to reason.

Laura felt her stomach clench as nausea took hold. The lyrics from a song danced through her mind. 'Shiny, happy people holding hands...' That wasn't a compromise. That was brainwashing. She would lose pieces of herself and become half a person...she would...

She remembered reading how scared Lilly was when Ten demanded that his name be removed from her mind. When it was forcefully taken, Lilly was betrayed and never quite recovered from it. Then there was Donna. 'That version of Donna is dead.' The Doctor told Wilfred Mott when he was forced to wipe Donna's mind. Now, he wanted to do the same to her...just like...

In a burst of adrenaline and panic, she ran past him heading to one of the exterior doors. She made it only a few steps before she tripped over the book she dropped on the floor and started to fall only for him to catch her arm. Laura attempted to pull away but his grip remained steady and in her anxiety, she started to cry out for help. "Honor!" She was shaking. "Honor! Help me!" Could the other girl even chance to hear her? She looked at the Doctor with fear in her eyes. "Please..." Her voice cracked and she could hardly speak at all.

"Laura, calm down." The ancient alien groaned inwardly. She'd panicked. Of course she'd panicked. After reading about the other time lines she'd written, what else could he expect? "Laura, relax." The Doctor knew he couldn't let go of her arm. With how she was struggling to get away from him, if he let go, she would lose her balance. She hit the floor, and she'd hit it hard. "Laura, stop." The Time Lord pursed his lips.

_Humans_, he thought to himself. _Fine_. With precision and accuracy, his freehand shot out to Laura's temple. She gasped, but instantly stopped fighting him. She was like a puppet on his string. He pulled her up to steady her on her feet. It would be so easy to fix things right now. Just a little push, and Laura would no longer be in danger of starving herself to death. The Doctor stood still for a moment more. Maybe this was why she'd run. Maybe she'd sensed just how much power he could exercise over her. _I'm not like that_, thought the Doctor. _ I will never be the Time Lord Victorious, not even in this._ He released Laura's arm, but kept two fingers pressed lightly to Laura's mind.

"I'm going to let go now," said the Doctor. "Please don't hurt yourself." He dropped his hand and stepped back. "Maybe you're right," he told Laura before she'd completely come back to herself. "If we fixed your issues with telepathy, you wouldn't learn how to solve your problems on your own. But Laura, I'm not the Doctor from the other time lines. Please believe me in that." With a loud click, all the exits in the room unlocked. The Doctor only hoped he hadn't just made things even worse.

"So, that was it." Laura hadn't truly been that afraid before. Even though he unlocked the doors to the library, there was still no getting off this ship. Even if she managed to get the door open in the console room, they were still trapped in the vortex. "You wanted to fix me like a piece of broken machinery." She paused. "Like a Cyberman?" She challenged. "A Dalek?" She saw him wince. "You start cutting off the pieces you think are unpleasant, I won't be human anymore. I won't be anything!"

She staggered back against a bookshelf, leaning against it as she collapsed to her knees, feeling him approach. He stopped right in front of her but Laura still felt threads of anxiety. What if he changed his mind? She wouldn't give up what was left of her own autonomy. "I won't change my mind." She said dully. "Seen too much. Can't be here on the TARDIS." She closed her eyes tightly together. "Not with what's coming." An image of her best friend flashed through her mind. "Not after..." _Not after Beth. _She thought.

The Doctor squatted down next to Laura. He tipped his head to one side, looking at her. He frowned. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I didn't mean to frighten you. It was just an idea. I'm only trying to help." He stood up, looking down at the human. "I won't pester you about your eating habits anymore. But Laura. If you pass out, I will take medical action. And you will be confined to the med bay until you return to full health. I hope that's clear." What else could he do? The Doctor grimaced. "S'pose it won't matter much since you'll go right back to starving yourself as soon as you're released," he muttered to himself. The young looking Gallifreyan looked every bit his age as he turned, and left the Library.

"Then let us go." She called out after him. "At least just for a few weeks. After the election. If nothing else, just that. That can't be much to ask." Laura pushed herself on her feet as she walked out into the corridor. "The Master..." Her voice trailed as he suddenly turned. How could she explain it without causing a paradox. "A few weeks away from the TARDIS. Maybe stay with one of your former companions. I'll eat in exchange." She shook her head. "What harm could we do in a few weeks? Please." If he granted her request it should be enough time to wait out the Master and forget 'the year that never was'.

The Doctor stopped at her words. The Master? Was she referring to him as her guardian because of the control he had over her? Was she referring to The Master from her story? Or did she mean to remind the Doctor of the grief he still suffered at the loss of his childhood friend?

The old Time Lord turned to face his charge. "If you give me your word not to run off, we can go somewhere to bury your friend," he offered. "Getting her affairs in order should take a few weeks. And we could stay in a local hotel or bed and breakfast while we're there."

The Doctor deliberately refused to acknowledge Laura's offer to eat in payment for what she wanted. She needed to stop thinking of it as something she could use to control her surroundings. She needed to stop thinking she could use her starvation to control **him**. So, he ignored her offer.

"We wouldn't have to stay in the TARDIS," he went on. "But she would still be nearby if we ran into trouble." The alien looked seriously at the girl. "Is that alright?"

He looked hopeful, but was still suspicious. There was no way he would drop them off for a few weeks on their own. He certainly wouldn't want to try to care for them without his time ship nearby. Just look at all the trouble they'd already gotten into. Even when he was stuck as a human in 1913, he had given Martha specific instructions to wake him at the first sign of the girls causing trouble. They may have thought they were on their own, but in reality, he was only a fob watch away.

The Doctor didn't understand and Laura couldn't explain how he and Martha would have to travel a billion years into the future so that the Master could steal the TARDIS and prevent the paradox. But maybe, just maybe after she buried her friend, she and Honor could find a means to depart. She had been tricked already by a phony door but fool me once...she winced at the memory.

"Beth always liked the ocean." That much was true of her friend. "I was hoping we could bury her in Cardiff. I...we...always, intended to go there." She swallowed. Given the right distraction, Jack could reunite with the Doctor and the rift would send them to the future. Honor and herself would be outside of its influence. Maybe a small tip off to Torchwood wouldn't mar the timeline that badly as to the Doctor's location. It had to work. She took a deep breath. "Honor and I will need some time alone at the burial site. We..." Her voice nearly broke. "We had to watch her die and there's a vigil we would like to make for her soul." She paused, knowing the Doctor didn't necessarily believe in the afterlife. "We light candles and say prayers if her spirit is in purgatory." She attempted to explain. She hoped her idea would work. Surely Honor would support her after all they had endured. Neither one wished to retain a memory of that terrible year but in order for that to work, they had to somehow trick the Doctor into leaving them behind when he left with Jack and Martha to meet the Master. Not an easy task to say the least.

"Cardiff." The Doctor repeated. It was an odd choice to say the least. Why wouldn't she wish to bury her friend closer to where she considered her home? He sensed Laura was telling the truth but was not being entirely forthcoming. Still, from what he knew of Catholic traditions, a vigil was not uncalled for. He remembered with clarity visiting the official legate seat in the thirty third century in his forth regeneration as well as taking part in the events of the gunpowder treason in his first, which became memorialized as a national holiday celebrated in England on November the fifth.

Laura and Honor wanted time alone to take part in this ceremony to say prayers for their friend's soul but he was wary. He turned to the girl who was looking at him, a nervous expression in her eyes.

"Cardiff it is." He ran his hand through his hair. Maybe it was only coincidence that they chose a place with a strong temporal rift. "I can give you distance but…" He sighed. "You still need to remain within my sight at all times." He held up his hand as Laura started to protest. "That's the deal, Laura. The only one I can make. I can promise not to eavesdrop but I won't take the chance of someone getting their hands on you both again." His voice was firm.

"It's just, I was hoping we could keep her in a mortuary." Laura pressed her lips together. "We don't believe in cremation." Well, that wasn't altogether true. The Catholic Church was starting to accept it but most preferred caskets over the crematorium. Still, in this universe, she had a bad feeling about the process and knew she couldn't allow that to be done to Beth. Nor could she allow to have her body rot in the ground. "I want to keep her preserved." Taking a deep breath, she looked at him. "She should be comfortable."

"Comfortable." This was a concern. Maybe Laura was still suffering from denial over her friend's parting. This could be her way of shouldering the blame and why in part she decided to impose a regimen of self-starvation once again. "Laura," He tried, keeping his voice calm. "I know how difficult it was to see your friend die. I've seen that happen more then once but she's gone. She's…" He paused, looking into his charges eyes. "weeeell, she's not suffering anymore."

But Laura had a bad feeling. She remembered the episodes she had watched so far from season eight. Missy welcoming those who had died to the afterlife but Laura suspected she was less then benevolent. By the second episode, she came to the conclusion that she was the Master regenerated into female form and was gathering souls much like the Master was about to do here when he brought the Troclofanes to Earth. When she saw Lucy in the mirror, she could almost hear the soul of the human that was the previous owner of the body pleading for release. How could she hear it and the Doctor could not? Maybe it was the artron or perhaps it had to do with Honor and Laura's spiritual or temporal perception. Either way, the result remained the same.

"Please let us use the mortuary." Laura pleaded. "It's just a feeling I have. I….it will help. Just…" She shook her head mutely.

"Very well." The Doctor conceded. "I'll see what I can do." He didn't understand where Laura's sudden apprehension was coming from. Was she sensing something he couldn't perceive? He was a man of science and logic, usually holding true to those principles, disregarding the notion of an afterlife but Laura seemed adamant to the point of being fearful. The request was rather simple and all things concerned, it might be easier to contain the girls in the mortuary for them to do their necessary prayers then at a burial site.

"I need your word that you won't take this as your chance to run off, Laura." The Doctor said, narrowing his gaze on her.

Laura swallowed. She didn't like breaking a promise so if she simply worded it carefully, she wouldn't have to.

"I wouldn't run off during Beth's _burial_!" She said indignantly with added emphasis. Indeed she wouldn't. She would make her attempt after it was complete. Regardless, she didn't even have the energy to run and any escape attempt would require stealth, which would mean quietly making their way back to the street and finding a cab. Neither which involved running. Laura had indeed learned about the art of argument and phrasing during her media and criticism in popular culture class. She knew all too well the psychoanalytic argument of breaking down a phrase in order to deliver the truths required without having to break her word when the time came.

The Doctor nodded looking somewhat reassured as he turned to head back towards the console room. Laura closed her eyes briefly before heading down the hallway. It was time to find Honor and to discuss the finer details of their plan.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Laura ventured down the corridor until she finally reached the rose garden, thereby having some hope of locating Honor where Martha had failed. Opening the door, she found her efforts were rewarded when she located the red head by the lily pond, gazing intently at the water nearly transfixed by something on the surface.

Hesitantly, she cleared her throat but even that small noise startled the other girl who turned towards her, eyes wide. "Honor, we need to talk." Laura paused. "I'm sorry...I mean, I know you probably wanted time alone but the Doctor..." Her words trailed. "We have to try again. To get away. He thought about using telepathy on me to take away my memories." She took a deep breath. "What if next time he doesn't stop? What if he does that to you?" Laura thought for a moment. "He already broke his promise." She shook her head. "Do you actually still trust him?"

Honor looked up with red-rimmed eyes. She had evidently had been crying. "I..." She cleared her throat and swallowed hard. "I don't know." Honor shuddered and avoided looking at her friend, eyes trailing back out into the water. "It would be so much easier if I could. _I'm just so tired of fighting_. I can't keep this up." The teenage posed a pretty pathetic figure, pale and, alarmingly, looking thinner in the face than she did before.

The dark circles under her eyes were ever present but lighter. The blanket she had wrapped around herself hinted at her frequent naps that she had taken to having as of late, doing little else. She took to grieving much the same as if she had gotten sick: lots of sleep, seclusion, having an almost complete absence of appetite, and drinking lots of water. She appeared almost as sickly as she felt. "I really just don't care what happens anymore."

"I'm sorry." Laura said quietly. She could see that her friend had also been suffering. From what she recalled of Martha's attempts to converse with her, she had been unable to locate Honor since the Doctor spoke to her. Laura winced. Perhaps she was being selfish. It had been a duplicate of her best friend but how easily could it have been Honor's that died right there. They were very nearly trafficked into the slave trade and Honor was a few years younger then she. Just barely out of high school. None of this was fair on her.

"After it...when it happened to me, I shut down for a week. Didn't want to feel or think. Spoke to almost no one. The assault..." She paused, licking her lips, her mouth feeling dry. "It can change you but it can make you stronger. It was one of the few times I thought about taking my life." She told the other girl. Honor's eyes widened. "That one night. But I didn't because I reached out. Talked to someone I trusted." She sat down next to Honor. "I may not be Kiley but we're both here together. I know I'm pretty messed up most of the time but I can still listen." She sighed. "If we give up. If we stop fighting, we'll lose ourselves. You're better then that. Better then all of this. Maybe we should make a deal for ourselves that we'll both stick to." She struggled to smile. "Because right now, you're the only one I trust to keep their word." She reached out for Honor's hand. "What do you think?"

Honor looked at it for a moment before giving a small smile and shaking the offered hand. She paused for a second, as if unsure, before reaching out and hugging Laura. "You might not be Kiley," she murmured. "But you're one of the few friends that I didn't just let slow fade out of my life. There's only about two people who can say that. You're one of them." The red head pulled away, giving a smile that was somewhere between embarrassed and ashamed. "I don't like to put in the effort most of the time, not to just anyone. It's easier for me to not get too attached to people, hurts less...and I can be pretty selfish and uncarin'."

She held up a hand to forestall protests, "Despite what you think, it's true. I just hide it better. I... I want to connect with people, I _need_ to connect with other people. But I don't... It's hard for me to do it, I don't do it right. I make shallow connections. I'm friendly, I have a lot to say, I like to make other people happy...but I make sure to keep it mostly on my own terms, 'cause it's safer, easier for me to back out whenever I..." She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Reason I stuck around was because you actually opened up to me. Only you and Kiley actually went on a limb and...and decided you wanted to be my friend. You were willin' to put as much of an investment into me as I was willin' to do for anybody else who I took a likin' to." She took a deep breath.

"You're my friend, one of my best friends. I trust you implicitly and, like it or not, I'm never goin' to leave you alone, 'cause I'm selfish and I like you too damn much..." She cleared her throat and averted her eyes. Abruptly, she changed the subject, obviously uneasy with what she just shared. "Now that we, or rather _I_, got my mushy feelings out of the way, I'm goin' to level with you, I'm tired of the Doctor. I'm tired of this situation. I don't care what he does anymore. It's too much effort and energy that I don't want to waste by stressin' out. I don't care what we do, but I can tell you're itchin' to leave this place, asap...which means you've got an idea. Care to share with class?" She joked feebly.

Laura allowed herself a small smile and nodded. "Actually, the Doctor gave me the thought, ironically." She took a deep breath. "He's going to let us out of the TARDIS to stay at an inn in Wales while we bury Beth." She paused letting this information sink in. Honor's eye's widened as she seemed about to speak and Laura shook her head. "I tried to get him to leave us for a few weeks off the TARDIS so we wouldn't be around for when the Master becomes Prime Minister but he won't." She wrapped her hand around her wrist. "But we have a chance. After Beth is interred into the mortuary, he'll leave us alone in there for the vigil. That's when we take our opportunity. I promised him we wouldn't run off during Beth's burial." Laura gave a shrug. "I said nothing about what would happen afterward." She started to pace. "We can get to Torchwood. Tip them off. His team could hide us while Jack…" Laura paused glancing at Honor who nodded. "The Doctor will be distracted and Jack will be with the TARDIS for them to go to the future just like they need to." Laura closed her eyes. "It's a shot. The best one we have. We can't stay with him." She looked at Honor. "What do you think?"

"I...I think we should do it, I guess, but..." Honor's uncertainty was clear as day on her face.

"But...?"

"But d'you think we could really get away? What would he do if-if we didn't manage to pull it off?" The teenager drew the blanket tighter around herself. She shivered, but not because she was cold. "What if we push too far? His patience isn't exactly goin' to be endless. There has to be a limit. Everyone has one. He's goin' to be ticked..." She released an agitated breath, her reddish fringe blowing upward for a moment before flopping back to its original position. "Guessin' its a calculated risk, though, so I s'pose we could try just one more time. He ain't stupid. This's goin' to be our only chance, so we need to do this right after we pay our respects."

Laura felt weary. "I know. It is a risk. We could get caught but after what he nearly did to me..." She shivered. "What if he changes his mind in the future? Even if I stop my hunger strike, what if there is something else he doesn't like?" She looked at Honor. "He offered to go inside my mind and remove my unpleasant memories. Modify my behavior. Like I was some kind of robot." She rubbed her forehead. "You know when he becomes the Time Lord Victorious, he won't hesitate. I'm just afraid he could do that to either one of us...I thought what he did or is going to do to Donna..." She shook her head. "We plan this carefully. Maybe we each leave the mortuary separately or..." She thought of Lost in Reality. If that was indeed an alternate timeline, Lilly and Sara's plan actually did have some merit. "We go in two separate directions, take two taxi's...arrange them in advance and get to Torchwood. Once we're there, we can get inside. There's the time lock. The Doctor can't even get in there. Jack can meet the Doctor and they'll go off to the future. They can make filters there to hide us and Jack...he'll help us find a way home." Laura knew despite Jack's philandering he was honorable in his way. "We have to believe that." She swallowed. "But if we're caught, I'll tell the Doctor it was my fault, my idea." She glanced at Honor. "After all, he didn't make you promise not to run. Did he?" Laura knew he would be furious if he got his hands on them, especially her but at least she could deflect some of the blame off her friend and she was prepared to take it. After all, she technically wouldn't break her word although she was pretty certain for the Doctor, he would be unlikely to discern such a technicality if the argument presented itself.

"I can be a coward, but I'm not lettin' you take the full blame," Honor declared firmly crossing her arms. "If he catches us, we'll face the consequences together. Besides, he's the reason we're runnin', it's his fault, technically." She winked cheekily. Laura snorted and Honor grinned, beginning to look better than she did initially when the conversation started. A thought occurred to her. "So, besides the Doctor being...'_helpful,' _how're you holding up?" Tentatively, the red head reached out and carefully placed her hand on the brunette's arm. "Do _you _want to talk? I can listen too."

Honor had experience with helping a grieving friend. She was there for Kiley when her father had passed away on New Year's Day. While Kiley and Laura were much alike, they were two different people and she wouldn't treat their pain exactly the same. However, she instinctively knew that being there for the person and caring was often enough. Listening patiently when they needed someone to talk to was even better. She didn't know Beth very well, having only met her briefly, just like she had only met Kiley's father a few times. There were parallels that were vaguely unsettling, but she dismissed it quickly as something coincidental but irrelevant.

Laura took a deep breath. "It's hard to think about Beth right now especially since..." She waved a hand around her as evidence to their predicament. "But I know her well enough that she wouldn't want us to be here." She gave a brief laugh. "Once time when we were in London, we accidentally ended up at Canary Wharf. She thought we might end up in the slave trade because it was so deserted..." The two girls looked at each other. "I guess that's kind of strange considering." Glancing around, she started to speak. "He replaced the phone that he gave you right?" It was one of the first offers of reconciliation that he attempted, which Laura for the most part ignored.

Honor began to nod but both girls jumped as the door was suddenly opened. "There you two are." It was the Doctor. Laura internally winced and Honor met her gaze exchanging a look. "Honor, I assume Laura filled you in on where we'll be staying the next few weeks?"

"Yeah," she answered simply before pausing, expression hesitant. "Are we...are we really goin' to spend sometime off the TARDIS? Outside?" The red head grimaced at the pathetically hopeful tone in her voice, but the idea of spending time off the space ship without a disaster of some sort happening was now something of a pipe-dream, a commodity. On top of that, there was a chance that maybe this would be it and they would be able to at least try for a somewhat normal life. She had the sinking feeling that this would probably be their last crack at it, their last chance. Honor Rae generally wasn't a pessimist, but the foreboding feeling of doom failed to dissipate.

For one thing, her dreams had been getting more intense lately. The feeling of eyes watching her every move, weeping angels, ruins of a city, laughter, the sound of something whizzing by her ear as it whirled and clicked... It ended with someone standing in front of her close enough to breathe into her face as they leaned forward in whispered into her ear, 'tread carefully.'

The Doctor rocked back onto his heels as he evenly looked back at the two of them. With somewhat forceful cheer, he said, "'Course we are! The TARDIS won't be too far away, so we could go back if the need ever arises, but other than that, we'll be getting quite familiar with Wales, I suspect."

"Oh yes, ever so much fun to bury a friend who died because she was simply in the way." Laura muttered under her breath to Honor. The Doctor looked at her with a grimace and she felt her hands tighten at her sides. If Honor and Laura managed to extract themselves from him, she certainly wouldn't miss him being able to hear every single thing she was able to whisper. It was difficult enough being in an empty room and having to verify whether they were indeed not being overheard.

She looked at Honor and could see the weariness in her eyes. She didn't seem to have an appetite either for the clothes she was wearing at current were baggy in appearance. Her skin was more pale then it ought to be despite her vivid red hair. Maybe that's why the Doctor spoke to her since he thought if he could correct Laura's faulty eating habits, Honor's appetite wouldn't be falling to the wayside.

But she knew Honor hadn't confided in the Doctor about her nightmare that she told Laura bits and pieces about, which could provide some explanation as well as their mutual grief. The Doctor cleared his throat drawing their attention back to him.

"S'pose you both could do with some fresh air, despite the circumstances." He said. "I managed to secure us a room at-"

"We are not staying in the same room as you." Laura quickly interrupted. Promises or not, she had boundaries she wouldn't cross and her beliefs didn't include sleeping in the same room with other males. He looked at her introspectively and she threw up her hands. "It's against how I was brought up and you surely don't expect me to…" She shook her head, starting to panic. "I can't…." She glanced at Honor for help. Martha and the Doctor might be all right with sharing a room but that certainly wasn't acceptable to her. With her friends, they always made sure to have rooms to give each gender their privacy.

"I've got to agree," Honor piped up, squirming slightly. "It's weird otherwise, I mean, not that you'd _do_ anythin', but…" She hesitated. "I've only really done sleepovers with Kiley and-and even when I was up at the cabin with her and Lucas on her birthday…Lucas slept in another room. It's just…it's just…" She struggled for a word before awkwardly settling with, "…weird."

And it was true, the only time she ever slept with guy in the room was with her brothers when out on trips. Before that, it was with her great-grandpa when she was under seven because of her fear of the dark. In other words, only with family, and only if they were little children or when she was a little girl.

The Doctor sighed, deciding to concede, noting their panicked expressions. "Fine, but I never intended to be in the room that long, myself. It was more for the benefit of you two and Martha. There are…weeell, other things that I will be attending to."

"Then, it can hardly be a big deal to let the three of us just have a room to ourselves." Laura told him. "Martha can stay with us but you walking in and out as you please….it's not right."

The Doctor's eyes settled on his two charges. He was aware on some level that Americans had the tendency to be more conservative then their European counterparts and since both girls had undergone a recent trauma…he sighed. "I will stay next door but you will remain on the premises unless you are under my supervision. Is that understood?"

"Clearly." Laura said dryly. Honor nodded in agreement. Still, the Doctor wasn't one to take chances. At night, he would sonic the door in such a way that they would not be able to exit into the corridor. It was always best to error on the side of caution. He trusted Martha implicitly to take her role in watching the girls seriously but he also knew two against one were not favorable odds. Despite Laura's promise to him, he still had his suspicions. He hoped they proved to be groundless and perhaps after this venture, he would consider himself only a bit paranoid. She was going through an exceedingly difficult time and her emotions would be erratic. It was something to be expected from humans. He let out a sigh.

"Since both your phones have been replaced, I am also doing the same with the laptop and your iPads." He glanced at Laura. "I know that iPod of yours was a gift from your family but I could make you a better one. I found a picture of your niece that I could mold into the cover for you. It-"

"The phone will hold the same music right?" Laura asked emptily.

"Yes, but I thought-"

Laura shook her head. "No. Can't be replaced. It's just gone." She swallowed hard. "I really…I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it. If the music is on the iPhone, then I'll make do."

The Doctor looked at her, wishing he could repair things, even in this small manner. He attempted to locate the device with the Tharils but was unable to make any headway. It was likely they took it apart for examination and there was nothing left of it to be found. In the interim, he already had his hands full working on the disaster he placed himself in when he executed punishments for the Family of Blood. While the girls were attending to the arrangements for the burial, his task would be to remedy that situation and resolve it in such a way that the Family's suffering would end and no further harm could be inflicted on the universe.

Both girls thought the Doctor should have killed them at that very moment when they were chasing his TARDIS, before he had become human. At the time, he thought it repugnant but now he knew that from their perspective, with the knowledge they had, they were attempting to be humane. They didn't want them to suffer. Even when the Family tortured Honor for information about his TARDIS, she still didn't want that cruelty inflicted upon them. Maybe it was to their credit that they so staunchly stood their ground. He only wished he wasn't so muddled, that he took a step back from the Oncoming Storm and recalled the fragile peace he had managed to instill. Laura and Honor were starting to get better. Beginning to adjust to life on the TARDIS. He took a deep breath. A mistake had been made. No matter what, he had to try to fix the shattered trust that happened between them.

"Why don't you two go to your rooms and pack a bag?" He suggested. "I'll get the room situation settled. We'll leave when you're done."

An hour later they departed the TARDIS for the Royal Cardiff Inn, which stood just near the ocean and as the Doctor left the girls in their respective room, he hoped the next week might prove a chance to start fresh. _Meanwhile, back to the Family…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's beautiful." Laura observed, glancing at Honor who stood out on the balcony with her. Martha had yet to join them in the room they shared, still packing some of her own essentials. "At least we can pretend for a bit that we're normal…that we're just some tourists on a vacation." She frowned briefly. "Of course, without our door being fastened shut so we can't leave." She glanced down to the cement beneath her. Twelve floors. It was a long, long way to fall.

"You know," Honor began quietly, also observing the long drop with a vaguely troubled frown before looking forward towards the view of the bay. "My grandparents, they knew of this place up by Lake Superior, where you could rent a cabin right beside the water for one hundred fifty bucks a day. Once a year, we'd go up North for a weekend. It was just like an ocean, reminded me of the coastline in Maine. The water, you could hear it so clearly in the cabin. I didn't need music from my radio or a fan to help me go to sleep. The water was the perfect background noise to occupy my mind, help me sleep, almost as good as a rainstorm. I felt so relaxed there with them, happy."

"I used to go on beach picnics with my friends at Half Moon bay," Laura offered. "It was so beautiful, cold too, but pretty all the same. There would be a fog but it would clear eventually and it left a sort of salty tang in the air. You could almost taste it. We would sing songs the whole there. It was always so… I kind of felt at home, you know? I was happy spending time with them, climbing that staircase up the cliffs to the lighthouse, messing around with them, just being silly in general, but it was fun. Then when we would head back, we would always eat at this restaurant. Said it was haunted, but didn't really believe it. I mean, it's always the same story everywhere with a woman in white, isn't it?"

The red head let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I s'pose. Kiley got freaked out once-well, actually a whole bunch of times-with things that were sort of freaky in the woods. But, it usually had to do with puddles. Something was off with them and she felt that she shouldn't touch 'em. Said they felt wrong. I don't tend to believe in ghosts, but know that feeling when something just seems wrong… Thing is, I got a bad feelin' 'bout all of this…"

Laura's eyebrows furrowed in consternation. "Is it your nightmares?"

"Yeah," the younger girl admitted quietly. "They've gotten worse, but I've just been so tired that I managed to sleep through most of the time without havin' them. But earlier…Before you found me, I had woken up from a really bad one. The gravestones…I don't know why, but the gravestones give me a bad feeling."

"Maybe it's because you knew we'd eventually have to bury Beth," Laura offered weakly.

"Probably," Honor hollowly agreed. Both girls continued to look out from the balcony, but this time in silence, unwilling to voice what they both were feeling.

That what was wrong with the gravestones didn't just involve burying their friend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Minnesotan couldn't help but give a small shudder, feeling chilled as she entered the cemetery. The burial had been beyond depressing and cold, as the weather had taken a turn for the worst, overcast with a biting wind. Despite having dressed warmly in black sweats with a dark long sleeved tee shirt and hoodie, finished with some Uggs covering her feet-she still felt cold to the bone. She had paid her respects in the mortuary afterwards with Laura and left, knowing she was supposed to depart first so her disappearance would distract the Doctor allowing Laura to be left with only Martha as a guard.

What was unsettling was that neither the Doctor nor Martha were anywhere to be seen.

Honor gave another shudder as she carefully picked her way between the gravestones and statues, trying to brush away the eerie likeness to her nightmare. The wind blew harshly, causing the trees to sway and movement caught her eye. Instinctively, her head turned to look where she saw it, only to freeze. That statue…

It hadn't been there earlier.

"No," came the fearful gasp. At this point, she didn't care if the Doctor or Martha heard her or not. There was a weeping angel a short distance away, reaching out towards her with an unnervingly knowing smile. Without meaning to, she blinked only to give a scared jolt when the distance was considerably shortened by several yards.

_Don't blink, just don't blink again_, she thought frantically. _As long as I'm looking at it, it'll stay where it is. Just…please don't let there be any others_. Thoughts hummed quickly through her mind as long seconds passed, her eyes beginning to water. Honor had a sinking feeling as to what had become of the Doctor and Martha, and the teen didn't need to guess to know what would happen to Laura if she wasn't warned and soon.

Carefully picking and backtracking her way to the church, Honor's eyes never left the angel. Despite her best efforts, she felt the urge, no, _the need_ to blink desperately trying to overpower her fear of the wicked creature in her front of her. Through sheer force of will and a strong preservation instinct, Honor managed to hold on for a few seconds more before the need to blink and danger of doing so became her only thought.

She assumed the angel could only move a yard or two from what she saw in the show and from what she witnessed, the angel covered the same distance here. _If I'm quick about it...I mean I'm on the other side of the cemetery and don't have much of choice, I'll have to do it anyway. As long as I'm quick, I'm sure nothing would happen if I were to_-

Then she was gone and the cemetery was empty.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Honor opened her eyes, she was in the same cemetery but a fog had descended and time had passed. It was dark, nighttime, and no longer just an overcast afternoon. She shivered and stayed silent, feeling-no, _knowing_- that she would give a away her position if she said a word. She knew who was behind it all. Intuitively she had known all along.

And when she heard his voice, she knew also that her nightmares were now vividly coming to life. "Honor, how good of you to join us. We have been waiting."

'_We?_' She wondered before it hit like a ton of bricks. _The angels, the Great Intelligence is in league with the angels._ She tried to locate him through the fog, but was having difficulty doing so. Suddenly, a section of the mist cleared momentarily and Honor spotted him, heart leaping painfully in her chest.

"It will be easier on both Laura and yourself if you simply capitulate now," he warned her. "I lack patience concerning your defiance and will not hesitate in delivering heavy consequences to you both." His voice varied between getting louder and more faint, revealing the progression of his search.

Honor remained silent and attempted to shut his voice out to little success. His words seemed to echo around in her mind. "There is nowhere you can run. So why make the attempt? Why put off the inevitable?" His voice had grown closer and the red head stealthily edged around and crept away from the tombstone that she had been hiding behind, moving from statue to tombstone to monument to statue.

_It's almost like hide 'n' seek_, she mused to herself with no small amount of dark humor before sobering. _Only deadlier_. So intensely concentrated on the immediate threat the Great Intelligence offered, the teen had forgotten about the angels. The monuments, the statues…

They were angels.

It was a horrid fact that Honor didn't realize until smooth and cold arms wrapped around her person. One appendage pinned her arms to her sides while the other snaked upwards, allowing a hand to clutch her throat to keep her head mobile, facing upwards and forwards… causing her to be unable to see her attacker in any way, shape, or form. Honor didn't know how she knew, but she was certain that she was in the arms of an angel, those cool and slick arms that gave her a serious case of the heebie-jeebies, goose bumps that spread across her skin. Unconsciously, she tensed, her whole body on edge, screaming '_danger!_'

She was lifted an inch or so off the ground and in a moment's notice was suddenly in front of the Great Intelligence. The speed at which the angel had moved had left her breathless and served as perfect confirmation that her captor was an angel. To further prove this, the arms holding her hardened, they became solid and unyielding. Honor choked and gasped, unable to clutch at the-now stone-hand that grasped her throat. She wasn't being strangled but how she was being held caused her to struggle for every breath, and it was so difficult already to breathe…

And in that moment, as she panted and gasped while the Great Intelligence smirked at her in triumph, that she made the connection in her mind, that she knew what he was and how to define him, that he made sense to her. He was a boa constrictor.

Honor remembered of a time in public school, a passage that she had read, a paragraph that reemerged as a memory from so long ago:

A boa constrictor is patient. It doesn't wrap all the way around its prey and immediately squeeze it to death. No, it's patient. It waits for the victim to do all the work. It coils two or three times around the chest of its victim snugly and simply waits. Each time the victim relaxes, exhaling its breath, the snake simply tightens its grip, picking up the slack. After three or four more breaths, there is no more slack, and the snake simply waits once more, patient as always. The prey suffocates and is quickly consumed by the ever-present boa constrictor.

_But,_ Honor thought grimly. _The boa constrictor doesn't literally have to be a snake. Laura and I… we're victims that have become willing accomplices to our own demise. The boa we're facing-no, _failing _to face-is the Great Intelligence. All we've been doing is running, and look where it got us…straight back to him. We've kept ignoring him, kept _forgetting_ him. It was our biggest mistake. We should've told the Doctor. I don't…I don't think we can handle him alone…_

And here the snake was in the very flesh, about to devour her. The both of them had become too complacent, had forgotten the more immediate threat and had failed to learn their lesson after what had happened with Beth. They had dropped their guard.

"'The boa constrictor smiles when we relax,'" Honor quoted out loud with a croak. "You knew this'd happen, that we'd run again. You were _waitin'_ for it to happen again, countin' on it."

"Perceptive," the man mused to himself absently. "But you are essentially correct."

"Essentially? What'd I miss? What's your game? What d'you want from us?" Honor was biding for time, trying desperately to come up with an escape plan. The Intelligence clucked disapprovingly.

"There is little to be accomplished by telling you now. You will simply have to wait for Laura to be present for any arrangements and negotiations to be disclosed. Now then onto the matter at hand. You may either come quietly or-" He interrupted himself with a grunt when Honor lashed out with a well-placed kick to his solar plexus and continued to flail to deter him from getting any closer.

With a growl, the Intelligence's hand reached out suddenly and just barely brushed the surface of the skin of her forehead…but it was enough to cause her to freeze ram-rod straight as if suddenly struck by lightning with an intense flash of pain. "That's better," he purred dangerously. He stepped forward confidently, no longer driven back by Honor's thrashing, placing his hands none too gently on her temples, he delivered an order. "Now, _obey me_."

Pain, white hot and severe, flashed through the girl's mind. If she had control of her body, she likely would have flailed in an action similar to that of a seizure and screamed. As it was, she could only groan, eyes rolling to the back of her head, her muscles twitching involuntarily. It felt worse than the time she had a thick flashlight thrown hard at her head, more acute than getting her fingers broken, worse than the large gym bar falling on her skull. It was agony.

And she couldn't help herself in marching behind the Great Intelligence and following him back to what he considered his base of operations. She might as well have not been there. She was nothing but pain and a body, mindless and robotic. She had no will of her own, and for a moment, she understood the precise nature of why she and Laura had been fighting so hard against with the Doctor. The free will he could so easily take away from them just like the Great Intelligence had taken hers. The Doctor just hadn't done it yet and now would likely never get a chance, since they were in the clutches of the Intelligence. He probably had made it so the Doctor would be unable to intervene and retrieve them.

It was on both herself and Laura to save themselves, but the red head had her doubts of this ever becoming reality. And soon her qualms faded and she lost herself to the searing, throbbing pain of the Intelligence's intrusive psychic order as she eventually lost her final grip on consciousness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Laura steadily blew out the candles. It was her turn to make her attempt to escape since Honor had already parted. She didn't hear the other girl cry out so she had to assume she must have subverted the Doctor successfully. It made sense for them to leave one at a time. Honor could lend an excuse that Laura wanted some time to say her final good-byes, therefore have some permission to look around the cemetery in wait for Laura to finish as the Doctor looked on.

Meandering far enough, she could hurry and leap into the taxi that was waiting with little trouble and the Doctor would be distracted by her sudden departure to pay Laura much heed, leaving only Martha the last person she might have to contend with. Laura certainly didn't wish to hurt Martha but she knew she might have to stun the other girl if worse came to worse. Hopefully, her words would be more productive then the actual use of brute force.

She waited a few minutes and then took a peak out the door, noticing with some relief that the nearby proximity was clear. She exited the building, starting to edge around it only to feel disconcerted. This was too easy. The Doctor and Martha were conspicuously absent. She knew that wasn't right. One of them should be nearby. Also, the muddy footprints seemed to dead end on a particular portion of the circuitous pathway heading to the main road. The TARDIS hadn't been far when they journeyed here and if the Doctor or Honor traversed up to the main road, there should have been a trail but there simply wasn't one to speak of.

Laura swallowed feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was wrong. There was a chill in the air and she had the sudden feeling of eyes watching her, lying in wait. A sensation of a predator examining his prey. All thoughts of escape suddenly flew out of her mind at that moment.

"Honor?" Laura called out. "Doctor?"

No one responded to her call but the feeling of being examined didn't leave. It was a cold, perpetual gaze. Icy and malevolent. Someone was after her. There was a sensation of hunger and now they wanted her too. "Anyone!" She turned. "Please-"

Her voice died in her throat at what she saw. _Oh God, it's them. _Weeping Angels. Figures that didn't move as long as you kept looking at them. She stared at them, repeating a mantra in her mind. _Don't blink, don't blink, don't blink. _She back pedaled towards the mortuary. If she could get inside and the lock the door, they might not be able to come in after her. _Where is Honor? _She was desperate. _Oh God, if they got her…._She couldn't think right now. Her eyes were burning but she couldn't stop staring at them. Laura couldn't let them win. Her hand scrambled to find the knob behind her, turning it, pushing it open as she got back inside and at once closed and locked it. She took a deep breath and turned.

She didn't have time to scream to see the Weeping Angel looming directly in front of her, feeling it touch her arm and suddenly she was in darkness. Laura briefly fell to her knees, feeling dizzy before she felt the way around her surroundings. Stone walls, wood, tile…she was still in the mausoleum but there were no lights. _The door….the door must be…._she found the exit, pushing the door open as she staggered outside. Day had suddenly gone to night and a grey mist loomed over the cemetery like a heavy curtain. She could scarcely see the road in the distance. "Honor?" She cried out. "Honor, please tell me you're okay!" The angel had sent her to another point in time but Honor had to be here too. She didn't know how she could cope without the other girl.

"Hello, Laura." A voice echoed from behind her and she turned feeling a surge of hatred so relentless, she could hardly contain it.

"You." Her breath was short and staggered as she stared at the Great Intelligence. "You filthy murderer." She shook her head, backing away. "What have you done?"

"What was necessary." He answered flatly. "Your friend's death was the penance you both paid for attempting to flee my custody." He stared at her. "Surely you can see how that could have been avoided?"

"You shot her in the back to slow us down!" Laura yelled at him. "You killed her!"

"Just as she attempted to take my life. I merely acted in reciprocity."

"You're a psychopath." Laura knew she would be unlikely to reason with him. "The Doctor, Martha…"

"A negotiation I made with the Weeping Angels in exchange for a continued food supply. They simply carried out my demands separating yourself and Honor from your guardian." He paused. "I have no desire to engage in a custody dispute with that particular Time Lord. Now he shall be otherwise occupied and the three of us can begin the task at hand."

"Like hell we will." Laura refuted. "I'm not helping you."

"Oh no?" The Great Intelligence started to advance on her. "You're now in my domain, my territory. Honor is secured in my residence where you soon will join her or did you fathom attempting a rescue mission all alone?" He gave her a smile with little warmth. "Do you know what year you both have been relocated to?" He nodded in her direction. "The Doctor is without his TARDIS, unable to have means to extend a trace and the benefit of my arrangement is that my associates create fixed points in time." His gaze was utterly cold. "Surely you are fully aware of the implications."

Oh, Laura did but regardless she couldn't allow herself just to be taken by the Great Intelligence. If she was still in the twentieth century, Jack Harkness was alive and she might be able to locate him, using him for help to find Honor. It was better then the alternative and without a second thought she immediately ran for the road, feeling the chill of the fog seep through her clothing. Adrenaline and fear temporarily overcame her dizziness but she was breathing hard. She had little in terms of energy reserves and this was costing her everything she had left.

Laura just made it to the road, seeing a narrow beam of headlights coming down the road. It was a car and the driver there might be able to provide her some assistance. In desperation, she started to run towards it, waving her arms in front of her frantically in order to get the car to pull over.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around her, yanking her off the road. The strength was incalculable and she started to scream for help only for a gloved hand to choke off her cries. She could hardly move as the vehicle passed by without further hesitation as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"That was inadvisable and hardly conducive to our working relationship, Laura." The intelligence observed as he started to drag her backwards. "Apparently you are unlikely to accompany me quietly just like Honor so my hand is forced." She was suddenly turned, finding herself pinned with her back against the cemetery gate. His free hand held her head in place as his fingers pressed against her temple. Her eyes widened in fear. "This experience will be undoubtedly unpleasant but your contrary attitude has left me no other choice in the matter."

Those were the last words she heard before she was met with agony. The nerve endings in her entire head felt like they were on fire and she was certain that blinding pain would consume her, take everything she was and leave nothing in its wake. The flames seemed to wrap around her mind, scorching her until she heard the voice in her head, commanding her sleep, sending her spiraling into unconsciousness as she finally managed to escape the onslaught. The burning she felt in her mind started to dwindle as she fell limp into his arms.

The Great Intelligence without further adieu picked up the second girl as soon as she collapsed, making all haste back to the residence he established to keep his acquired possessions under his constant vigilance. He anticipated a struggle in terms of contending with these humans in particular asserting their free will and independence but he was duly prepared. He had centuries in which he waited for such an opportunity and he wouldn't be held back by hindrances. The girls would comply with his demands. They already had their first taste of a consequence for their antagonistic attitude and surely they would not be in a hurry to have another. If they remained obstinate, he wouldn't falter however in utilizing his telepathy to break down their will. They merely needed reminders of what he was capable of and he knew when it came to controlling their powers, the rest would simply fall into place.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Laura."

She heard Honor's voice calling to her from a distance and she groaned, opening her eyes finding herself instantly overwhelmed by a wave of nausea. The dimly lit room was an assault to her senses as her head pounded in a semblance of a migraine such as one she had never experienced.

"Honor….." She started weakly. "Where…?"

"I don't know." Honor admitted. " The angels….they got me when I left the mortuary. Didn't see the Doctor anywhere and then the Great Intelligence…." Honor shuddered. "I tried to run but he got me. Did something. Forced me to obey him. Follow him and I…" Honor paused, shaking her head. "Woke up here." For Honor, the pain of her telepathic encounter had been horrible and it seemed that Laura's was no exception. _Sadist. Complete sadist. _Her nightmares had come full circle.

Laura was struggling to push herself up on the bed but her recovery from what the psychopath had done to her was slower due to her constant hunger strikes. Honor took a glass of water off the table and offered it to her as Laura sipped from it slowly.

"What does he want from us?" Honor asked Laura, remembering that she had some brief insight into the intelligence's mind when the two of them were at the dance before the Family interrupted. Since the intelligence had brought her here, he had not been forthcoming regarding his plans.

Laura grimaced. "I…." She was hoping this could be avoided. That this thing would never find them again but here they were. The pounding in her head lessened as she managed to push herself off the bed, examining the window. They were at least twelve stories up. A plunge from that height would be to their deaths. _Just like the hotel room. _She swallowed, pivoting, heading to the door.

"Laura, wait…." Honor tried to warn her as Laura opened the door only to gasp. Weeping Angels. They were in the hallways. Lingering and foreboding as grey, morose statues, their very faces turned on them in threat. Their teeth were bared in a feral grimace.

Laura slammed the door closed as she turned back to Honor and once more glanced outside seeing the ever-present fog outside.

"They're breeding." Honor explained. "He's working with them and I've seen it." She shook her head. "Brings people here so the angels can feed off of them. It's….they're feasting."

"And in return, we're trapped here." Laura said faintly, closing her eyes. "No, we can't let him do this."

"But what does he want?" Honor demanded.

"'The Snowmen'." Laura wrapped her arms around her stomach as she looked at her friend.

"'The Snowmen'." Honor repeated. "He was trying to create an army but he couldn't because…." Her words faded. The Doctor and Clara foiled him. The Great Intelligence wasn't able to get a blueprint to create the soldiers he needed to take over earth and the family's mental imagery caused the snow to melt into water when Clara's echo died on Christmas day.

The Doctor wasn't here and Honor realized then that with the girl's ability to manifest things into reality, the Great Intelligence had goals that were likely the same. He wanted an army that couldn't be melted, that could be thought into reality just as Honor and Laura mistakenly created for him a body based on their fears.

"That's what he wants?" Honor swallowed. "To destroy-"

The door suddenly opened and the girls immediately backed away as the Great Intelligence entered carrying a tray laden with food, which he set on a nearby table before turning to the two humans in front of him.

"Given the work ahead, it is necessary that you both be at full strength to perform adequately." He observed.

"I'd rather starve." Laura said adamantly. If there was ever a good reason to commit herself to a hunger strike, now was the occasion.

"You have yet to hear what I have to offer."

"Doesn't matter." Honor spoke up. "We're not interested."

"Not in returning home?" He posed. Both girls looked up at him startled. "I see I have your attention." He stared at them both. "I could be in the position to return you to your dimension away from the imprisonment that you previously kept with the Doctor."

"And you want what?" Laura challenged. "To kill everyone in this reality?" Her desperation to get home might be intense but she certainly wasn't going to help a psychopath commit mass murder.

"It would do me little benefit to obliterate everyone out of this present universe." He folded his hands in front of him as he examined his acquisitions. "In terms of gathering other minds, destroying all the inhabitants would serve me little. Prior to the extinction of my dimension, my people were the considerable masters of it, revered in our position as deities." His smile returned. "Now that you have both bestowed me with a body, I mean to see that rank restored."

"Your universe ended." Honor protested. "Your people are gone."

"You both have the innate ability to manifest the fictional into reality. This task should prove trivial with the proper motivation applied." He surmised.

"No…" Laura moaned. "I won't do this. I can't…" She knew it was her fault. Her thoughts had been the one to meander when they first came here and it was she who had those damnable episodes on her computer. When she and Honor had first discovered their abilities to manifest objects into reality, they should have exerted more caution over their thoughts but they didn't. She had let her fears get the best of her and didn't listen to the warnings that Honor's dreams presented.

Honor could feel the sheer greed as the intelligence examined them both and she tried to recall the nightmares with greater clarity. Perhaps there was sign. A way to escape the misfortune that landed them here. The Weeping Angels were dispersed throughout the building and she had witnessed through the windows people being tricked into entering the premises only for them never to exit. She had tried to advance beyond the level for which she was currently restricted only to find the staircase barricaded. Then the ever-present angel posted as sentry advanced on her and she retreated back to the room she awoke in.

Despite their precarious circumstances, Honor didn't feel as isolated when the Great Intelligence returned carrying Laura into the room, placing her on the adjoining bed, only to promise he would return when she regained consciousness.

Honor was scared but with Laura by her side, perhaps their odds were increased. If what the Great Intelligence said was true and his bargain counted on a steady food supply to the Weeping Angels, then they had to determine a way to cut off their source. She took a deep breath. _But how? _What could they do before the Great Intelligence forced them to abide by his wishes?

"It would be a simple feat on my part to compel you." The intelligence observed. "Albeit, rather tasking on your psyche. Perhaps a demonstration is in order."

Laura was shaking her head in refusal as he advanced towards them.

"I see you still maintain a regimen of self starvation, which will not benefit what I envision long term." He told Laura and moving swiftly, he seized her arm, dragging her forward. She cried out, starting to struggle against him. "I offer you the choice to change your mind." He said flatly. "Eat of your own volition or I won't hesitate to compel such an order in which you will be unable to refuse."

Laura just stared at him in shock. It was what the Doctor had been tempted to do to her come full circle yet this time, this man, this thing wouldn't pause. "No, you can't!" She shrieked as he pressed his fingers against her temple. "Please don't-"

Honor had reached forward without thinking, taking a knife off the tray and instantly aimed the device straight for his neck. Just as the instrument was about to meet flesh, her wrist was seized and her hand twisted so the utensil fell harmlessly to the floor. Honor let out a cry of pain as the intelligence turned on her, releasing Laura who stumbled back only to wrap his fingers around Honor's neck.

"One must commend your determination, Honor but such an action only brings its share of consequences on you." He assessed as Honor gasped for air. She felt his fingers press against her forehead and she flailed. "I was merely going to alter your friend's own disordered eating habits but now I believe a more obvious display is required to-"

He was suddenly cut off as Laura who had retrieved Honor's fallen weapon suddenly moved forward, arcing the knife and jamming it into his throat. She momentarily froze as he fell to the ground, choking and Honor at once found herself free. Immediately, she took hold of Laura's arm dragging her towards the door. "Come on. We have to get outta here." She ordered, as Laura seemed to be stunned while turning a violent shade of green.

"Didn't want..I didn't want to do it but…." Laura was stammering as she stumbled into the hallway after Honor.

"Good thing you did." Honor told her while surveying the area. "Where did you learn that?"

"A movie." Laura muttered. "Only that character used a pen, not a knife." She was already feeling ill from what she had just done. The very sound of the metal hitting flesh was unmistakable and she started to shudder violently. Was this some type of purgatory that they had been trapped inside or was it Hell? They already gave flesh to a demon based on an image that they had both come to fear and the agony of him forcing his way into their minds was entirely different from that of the Doctor. Now she had a taste of how the telepathic touch could differ so much from one individual capable of it to the next. Each came with their own signature just as particular to the reality from which they emerged. The Pre-universe, the beings there from which the Great Intelligence originally was lauded as a god had been said to naturally come to its end, expanding out so far that the universe lost cohesion and ceased to exist.

What if that wasn't the case? The Great Intelligence while still in his body and that of his brother was said to be aware of his reality's predicament. They were the Time Lords of that universe. If they committed the same atrocities here as they did there without regard to time, the damage to their universe would have been extreme. _They could of_….Laura swallowed. Neither Honor or Laura could let themselves be used in such a fashion. Honor was already at the door to the staircase struggling with the knob and Laura glanced behind her.

"It's them." She whispered, warning her of the angels that were approaching from behind them.

"I can't get it open." Honor said in desperation as she leaned against the door and tried to force it open with her shoulder, which did little but cause her shooting pain that ran from her elbow all throughout her back.

Laura grabbed her hand. "Then we try something else." It was a long shot. They could manifest things but could they alter an object that was already in place? "Have to try removing the knob."

"Removing the knob?" Honor repeated.

"Send it somewhere else. Or…" Laura paused thinking of 'The Snowmen' episode. "Imagine it melting."

Honor looked at her skeptically and Laura looked at her frantically. "It's the only shot we have."

With that assertion they both closed their eyes trying to encapsulate the image in their minds of the brass knob suddenly melting and therefore being rendered useless as a barrier.

"Honor, Laura, you will return to your room immediately." It was him, recovered from their attack and he was quickly approaching.

"Focus." Honor breathed and Laura pushed the image in her mind. The knob. It was only a collection of molecules, atoms. So simple. Just a mere rearrangement, an introduction of a heat source and the knob couldn't hold cohesion. It would no longer act as part of their prison. It would-

A clunk was suddenly heard and the girl's eyes both flew open as the knob suddenly dropped to the ground now a mass of shapeless metal. For a moment, Honor looked at the object stunned and a small grin appeared on her face as she grabbed Laura's hand. "Let's get the hell out of here!" She started to pull her friend down the stairs only to stop when she saw three weeping angels blocking her path. "Okay, change of plans. Upstairs we go. They raced to the next floor busting out into the corridor, which turned out to be the fifteenth level. Scattered angels stalked the hallways and they could hear distinctive voices echo throughout the various rooms. The distinctive sickening laughter of the angels echoed around them and both girls shuddered while Honor was drawn back to the very memory of her dreams.

Honor turned and locked the exit to the staircase as they both headed past the rooms only to stop and gasp at what they saw through some of the open doors. There was a little girl on a bed, left alone crying for her mother, clinging to a decrepit stuffed animal. She didn't seem to see either Laura or Honor as she wrapped herself underneath the blankets hoping that she soon would be waken from her nightmare. Several rooms past in much the same distress. An elderly woman breathing her last, dying all alone without a soul to her help ease her from this world into the next.

Suddenly, there was a whisper Laura could hear so softly that she thought her mind was playing tricks on her. But no, there it was. _"Laura, it's me. Just over here. Don't be afraid."_

Without thought, Laura meandered to the right heading towards the empty room as Honor suddenly went stock still to watch her friend. "Laura, wait, where are you…"

But she had disappeared into the empty room and suddenly the door closed behind her.

Honor instantly pounded on the door. "Laura!" She yelled out. "Open the door. I swear, I'll find a way to take this thing off it's hinges if you don't-"

"Honor?"

It was a voice from another room. A gravely familiar voice and Honor turned venturing to the location just kitty corner to her left about to enter only to pull herself to a stop.

"You reaped the consequences for your failure to perform, Laura." The voice of the intelligence was unmistakable. "Therefore, Honor and yourself had to be parted. I could not continue to condone your constant attempts to flee my custody."

"Done what you asked." Laura's voice was weak. "Made others like you." There was a lengthy pause. "You forced me too. Promised you would send us home five years ago."

_Five years ago?_

"Perhaps. If you had been complicit in the beginning. Your abilities have proven a considerable rarity. Your dimension would do little to appreciate them on the level that I would. In my custody, I can still assure both of your protection." His tone was dismissive. He never had the intent of keeping his word.

"You're killing us." Laura whispered. "I can't-"

"On the contrary. I am taking every measure to keep you alive." He told her. "It is necessary you should rest now." He paused. "Should I take the precaution in ordering you to sleep for the night?" The threat was implied in his voice.

"No….don't….can sleep on my own." Her voice was hopeless.

"Then I shall go in turn to check on Honor." There was the sound of his footsteps. "Adhere to my warnings, Laura. The mind can endure to a certain limit until you find yourself trapped within your own body. A physical cage of your own flesh. Even then, you will not be permitted to die. Concede to your situation and you'll find me more accommodating in terms of reuniting yourself with Honor otherwise this prison is simply one of your own making."

Honor backed away, hiding just behind a crevice as the Great Intelligence left, turning in the opposite direction and proceeding down the corridor. Directly in front of her eyes, he seemed to dematerialize and Honor ventured directly into the room he just deserted.

"Laura." Honor whispered. "What did he do?" She was absolutely confused. "You just walked into another room and the door closed…."

"Honor, it's you." Laura said faintly. "It's really you."

"You said five years…" Honor started.

"When we tried to get away…so many times….useless, he threw me back in time, trapped me in a room." Tears filled her eyes. "Got inside my head. Forced me to eat, forced me to…" She shook her head. "Saw all the death. Tried to kill myself." Laura appeared to be utterly distraught. "Knew it was a sin but didn't want more death on my hands. Hoped God would forgive me but he found out and made me suffer…the burning in my mind when he took that choice away. Can't do anything. Leave, disobey…said he was doing the same to you…I'm sorry."

"No. I won't let this happen." Honor told her friend. She couldn't risk touching her. If Laura was sent to the past, then touching her friend with the present day Laura in the next room would cement the time stream. "There must be a way…" She glanced out the window of this Laura's bedroom and inhaled. The very image of the ruined city was right outside that she had seen in nightmares. Other buildings were permeating with rot and decay. It was complete atrophy on such a grand scale and Honor was horrified. This is what the Great Intelligence would force them to do? This horrible place would be where they would live out their life? She looked back at her friend who met her gaze with one of despair.

"Fixed point." Laura muttered.

Fixed point indeed. The Weeping Angels were known for creating those. The gentle killers that were called merciful for they sent their victims back in time to live out their full lives while the angels fed on the potential for the life they might have had in the present day. One way to defeat the Weeping Angel was to trick them into staring at each other, deadlocking them for eternity. The other way was….

Honor paused. Did this fit? She took a deep breath. It just had to. _Tread carefully. _That statement echoed in her mind and she closed her eyes, thinking hard. When she opened them, she turned to glance at the door and briefly she saw a flicker. The same words seemed to resonate on the door itself and an image of Penny stood there reaching out her hand, nodding to her. "Tread carefully." Honor repeated and Penny nodded, her expression solemn as she pointed to the exit.

That was when Honor knew. She had to find Laura and venture out of this place. It was time for a leap of faith.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her contributions and help in dialogue. Also, thank you to Christy-Flare for her inspiration with the subject of telepathy and the permission to use her name in forthcoming chapters. Thank you to all your reviews. They do provide a great deal of insight and help.


	9. Lift Up Your Head

"You knew this was coming?" Martha asked wearily in reference to the Weeping Angels and the two of them finding themselves trapped in 1969. She had a vague memory of the girl running up to the Doctor handing him a stack of paper before they were forced to part but those events happened months prior even before Laura and Honor came to stay onboard. It was sheer madness. It had to be a-

"It's a paradox." The Doctor pronounced grimly as he shuffled through the transcripts he pulled from his coat, which he kept on his person since he had a chance to peruse them. "Bit of a time loop to be more precise but this means there's a way of getting the TARDIS back and-"

"What about Honor and Laura?" Martha asked. "What happened to them?"

"I don't know." The Doctor was worried. If the Weeping Angels hadn't transported the two girls to 1969, then they might have been isolated for something more particular and nefarious. Regardless, how he had to proceed remained the same and he removed a control disk from the inner pocket of his overcoat.

"What is that going to do?" Martha demanded, dumbfounded, as he appeared to set up a recording device in haste.

"Time to make our recording for Sally Sparrow so she can help send us home." He was adjusting the lenses.

"But isn't she in 2007?" Martha verified, feeling impatient. Being forced to work in an auto repair factory was not an easy task and the last few days had left her very tired. She did know from what the Doctor explained about these angels the moment they were shuttled back in time by them, created fixed points in their attempt to trap them. The Doctor thought one of their motivations was to drain the power of the TARDIS using the time machine as a feeding source but he was silent as to his assumptions of what occurred with Honor and Laura. Martha stared at the trace car grease and oil underneath her fingernails already having a bad feeling about her two willful friends.

"Yup" He said, popping the 'p'. "2007. I'll make sure this little Easter egg is waiting for her precisely where she'll be working in the future." He nodded to himself in self-satisfaction. "That will give her access along with the key…." His voice trailed. He knew what to expect and to anticipate in order to negate this paradox with the arrival of Billy Shipton, the police detective who would deliver Sally Sparrow the DVD by starting the video production house of where she would work in the future, making sure the Doctor's recorded messages was among the collections that Sally Sparrow would review.

He began to record the dialogue from the transcript leaving latent pauses as he gathered his thoughts. Upon his return, finding Laura and Honor would be his first priority regardless of whether or not the Weeping Angels sent them to another period of time. The girls still posed a danger to the universe and they could not remain out of his supervision. The Doctor took a deep breath.

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff." He said, staring straight at the camera.

It was time to work on getting home and then he could labor on getting his two charges back into his custody where he could be certain of their safety and that of his reality.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sara?" Laura asked, staring at the image in front of her in disbelief. "Is it really you?"

The girl seemed to fade, becoming translucent right before her eyes as they both exchanged eye contact. _"Listen….need to…." _The words drifted in and out.

"Need to what?" Laura asked in desperation.

"_Choices….will be your sacrifice. Your choice to make….decide carefully." _Sara appeared as though she was about to disappear.

"No.! What choice?!" Did this mean Laura would die? Was that her sacrifice? Would she be called to make the same choice Sara did in order to prevent the Time Lord Victorious from becoming the Valeyard? Did she have to die to stop the monster Honor and herself created from becoming unleashed and forcing them to use their power on this reality?

"_Listen to…." _The words faded as the girl disappeared entirely and Laura shook her head backing away. She needed to find Honor. That much was certain and she turned, opening the door to nearly barrel into her friend who was looking at her in equal parts frustration and fear.

"Lockin' yourself in a room! What did you do that for?" Honor gripped Laura's arm dragging her down the hallway. "Was going out of my mind and then I saw…" The girl's voice trailed.

"Saw what?" Laura demanded.

"You!" Honor turned on her. "Can't let it happen. Have to get to the roof."

"The roof?" Laura stared at her in shock. "There's no way down. He'll have us cornered and the angels will get to us so-"

"They are feasting right now!" Honor exclaimed. "Can't stay here. He'll never let us go and if he catches us, he's going to throw us in different time periods. No way out then. There's only now. We have to act and if I'm right…"

"If?" Laura demanded.

"I dreamed about this. The Weeping Angels weren't just nightmares. They were warnings sent to me and we can break free if we act together. Poison their food source." Honor started to drag her up the staircase but the angels were right beneath them, their stony exterior tilted up at them. They were in pursuit.

"How do we…." Laura thought hard and then recalled 'Angels in Manhattan', which detailed a very similar encounter with the Weeping Angels that Amy and Rory were forced to contend with. A decision that forced them to the rooftop that called them to take a chance not knowing at all whether such a thing would break the Weeping Angels hold on Rory or lead to both their…..

Honor had propelled Laura outside where they felt a sleeting rain start to soak through their clothing.

"Wait! Honor! We don't know if this will work at all!" Laura was terrified of heights and the very thought of what Honor proposed was…well…Laura started to shake. "I don't think…I can't!" She was turning glancing around her.

Honor was too. The angels were making their progression and with the pouring rain, she couldn't see properly without her glasses much less keep the water out of her eyes to stop blinking.

"Laura, we have to. If we don't-"

"This could be suicide!" Laura protested. "That's a sin!"

Honor shook her head. "The angels send you back in time. Create a fixed point. I saw you. That's a paradox. It should work. I-"

"It should?" Laura asked in disbelief.

"If we stay here, you will try to kill yourself anyway." Honor told her fiercely and Laura looked at her stunned.

"No, I wouldn't. I swore, I would never…" Her words trailed. What if what Honor was saying was true? She was drenched, shaking with cold. There seemed to be no other way out of this misery and their enemies were gaining ground.

"You told me we needed to trust each other." Honor said to her. "That you could trust me. Do you?"

Laura gazed at her friend for several seconds before she started to take a step forward.

"You are both about to commit a serious error in judgment." A voice echoed from behind them and they turned to see the Great Intelligence approaching. "One that you'll be unable to rectify."

"One that you can't reverse, you mean." Honor told him.

"So you will send yourself and your friend in a very certain plunge to your deaths rather then secure a bargain that might send you both home."

Honor was about to speak but Laura interrupted. "It's a lie. You'll never let us go."

The red head was taken aback. How did her friend know about the conversation that took place in the bedroom that was five years in Laura's future? The girl seemed to answer this herself.

"Known too many sociopaths. Been lied to far too many times." She muttered. "You're no better. Far worse, in fact."

"And suicide is your response?" He challenged. "You are both Catholic in upbringing. What you intend to commit is a mortal sin against your own Maker. Are you certain you can justify the act when brought to judgment before God?"

The two girls joined hands as Honor glanced at her and Laura nodded, backing up to where they were right near the ledge. Both felt overwhelmed by a sensation of vertigo as Honor swallowed but struggled to remain resolute. Laura released a shaky breath as she turned on the Great Intelligence who was rapidly approaching, remembering words that Amber once wrote in reproach of a villain. It seemed duly appropriate here.

"Yes!" Laura glared at him. "Because you of all people know nothing about God!"

Without a second thought both girls moved as one hurling themselves from the ledge into the void that waited below. Honor felt his fingers scrape against her elbow, trying to gain hold but it was too late. They were both already falling and their screams pervaded their ears. Sickening cries also permeated the night as well as a bellowing shout that resonated of clear, untold pain. Splinters of white light cracked around them, shooting upward collapsing in on the night sky, the fog, the ruined city and everything was beginning to ripple apart. They closed their eyes as the fall seemed endless while the howling they could seem to hear and sense in their mind continued to go on and on. Honor began to wonder if they would ever hit the ground or whether she got it wrong and they would be left to forever spin in this constant perpetual void….

The noise just as suddenly ended and both girls found themselves stumbling to their knees on grass hearing only the sound of birds chirping in the trees around them. Opening their eyes, Honor looked around in amazement. They were back in the cemetery and it was daylight just as if no time had passed at all.

The two of them struggled to their feet and Laura looked at Honor, taking a deep breath. "You were right. The whole time, you knew…I…" Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around her friend in an embrace, which Honor returned still feeling her body continue to shake.

"Had my doubts here and there." Honor said. "Still, glad it worked. Didn't want to be wrong." She released a nervous chuckle.

"He's gone then." Laura breathed. "A paradox poisons the food supply, right so he's destroyed with them." She hoped she remembered that correctly.

"I think so." Honor thought the Doctor said it disperses the time line so the Weeping Angels were either destroyed or left to starve in the alternate period. Either way, the Great Intelligence was obliterated or might have just become the Weeping Angel's newest source of food. _Just desserts. _Honor thought, remembering the agony she suffered at his telepathic touch. "He won't bother us again."

Laura nodded. In the future, they would work better to control their ability so such an event would not be repeated but at least in this regard, the two of them were able to handle the very nemesis they created without interference from the Doctor that could possibly cause damage to his timeline. This just proved they were able to rectify their own messes but the Doctor had yet to remedy his. At the moment, the cemetery was deserted, which proved fortunate for them both.

"Let's get out of here before the Doctor finds us and-"

Suddenly, the familiar grinding noise of the TARDIS could be heard as Honor and Laura saw the time machine start to materialize in the distance.

"No." Honor shook her head. "Not now." They had just escaped one prison. She didn't want to rush into another.

"The taxis we called for before we left the hotel." Laura pointed to them just outside the gate. "Just right there. We only need one." Since the plan that called for them to sneak out one at a time to avoid suspicion was no longer necessary since the Doctor wasn't directly in close proximity to observe and block their escape, there was little point in taking separate vehicles.

A few steps was all it took for them to get into the nearest taxi. "The Wales Millennium Centre." Laura ordered quickly to the driver. Torchwood Three wasn't located within the building itself but directly underneath it.

"Going to take in a show?" The driver asked the girls conversationally while they both glanced at each other.

"Well, something like that." Honor said nervously, glancing in the rear window. She didn't see anyone. No TARDIS pursuing them along the road just like in the episode where the time machine chased the taxi that was holding Donna. Maybe this would actually work. They could get away and Jack would have his team help them. Surely they could make biodampners and perception filters that could hide them for the time they needed during 'the year that never was'.

Ten minutes later saw them in front of the building that housed Torchwood Three and the girls immediately made their way to the portion near the structure that they knew had the perception filter to keep the private entrance out of the public's prying eyes.

"Jack?" Honor tried. "Ianto? Owen? Gwen?" So far there was no response and people were glancing at the two girls who appeared to be addressing a cement wall with curiosity.

"Please, you have to help us." Laura pleaded, brushing hair out of her eyes feeling dizzy. The events of dealing with the Great Intelligence had left her with a significant strain and her haphazard eating habits was catching up to her. Fatigue and exhaustion was starting to encroach and she took a deep breath trying to will the buzzing in her ears to vanish. "The Doctor has been holding us prisoner onboard and-"

"Laura. Honor." The girls suddenly turned seeing the Doctor advance on their location, a grim look in his eyes. "Enough of this." He was duly angry. Laura had given her word that she wouldn't run off and Honor he expected to follow suit. Looking at them both now as they started to back away, he should have known that Laura didn't just pick this location based on coincidence. This was planned. She had orchestrated an attempt to escape from the very beginning using the burial as a means to secure her strategy. All that time he spent in 1969 concerned about his two charges that undoubtedly used the leeway they were suddenly granted to flee his supervision. He had managed to rematerialize his TARDIS just in time to see Laura and Honor get into the back of a taxi and drive off without hesitation.

"We're not going back." Honor told him. "No way. Think we'd hurl ourselves off a building, manage to escape one prison to go into another? Out of your mind."

"What building?" Maybe something had happened to them during his and Martha's departure.

"We cleaned up our accident." Laura told him coldly thinking about the Great Intelligence. "Any chance you did the same?" She grimaced seeing his expression. "So full of it. You say you need to protect the universe from our abilities but who protects the universe from you?" She was glaring at him.

"Laura-" He took a step closer and immediately they backed away.

"No!" She shrieked. "You wanted to use telepathy to force me to eat. Well guess what? Someone else was going to do that and so much worse. I felt him in my mind! We both did! It was agonizing and I will never let you get the chance again!"

He didn't know who they were referring to and he clenched his jaw at the accusation. "Laura, I told you I wouldn't and-"

They were already running away from him. The Doctor closed his eyes briefly before he strove after them in pursuit.

Honor could feel the pressure on her lungs. Her asthma was starting to catch up with her but she knew she had to continue. If the Doctor caught them this time, there wouldn't be another chance. That much she was certain. "Can't go much further." She gasped, glancing up ahead. "I…." She was out of breath and Laura turned to her.

"Have to split up. Only chance. He can only chase one of us. Find a taxi. Meet me at the train station." Laura told her.

"But-" Honor started.

"You have to!" Laura pleaded and in the born similarity just as in their story, they pushed off each other, instantly running in opposing directions. Laura heading down a narrow alley and Honor to the sidewalk.

The Doctor hesitated briefly but then he saw a familiar face coming near Honor's direction. A person he hadn't seen in two years since Rose and Satellite Five. They exchanged eye contact and the Doctor then looked at Honor pointedly. Jack nodded, the instincts of a time agent and military man coming to the center as he altered course in the girl's direction. The Doctor moved into a sprint, heading on the route that Laura had taken.

Laura had barely made it through the alley feeling her legs weaken beneath her and she managed to get to the sidewalk near a busy street propping herself up against a building as she placed her hands against her head. _Why can't it go away? _She thought, feeling nausea take hold with the disorienting sensation of all the blood rushing to her head. Dark spots started to come to the forefront as her vision swam. _No. Not now. Please….just go….get out…._

"Miss? You all right?" It was the voice of a stranger. She felt a hand touch her arm. "Do you need to go to hospital?"

Laura tried to speak but found she could barely manage more then a whisper.

"Taxi. Need a taxi." She said faintly.

"Think you need a medic. Going to call for one." The stranger attested. She heard her shifting about and the dialing of a phone.

"No…can't…"

"It's all right." The dreaded and familiar voice interceded. "I'm a doctor. I'll take care of her."

"Sir, I think she needs to go to hospital and-"

"Weeell, as you can tell, I'm on staff with Spire Cardiff Hospital and happened to be on my way there, but seeing as you have a bit of a problem…." Laura could hear the familiar use of the psychic paper and suddenly she could feel a hand taking hold of her forearm.

"Laura?" His voice was clinical. "I need you to open your eyes for me for a moment." He was pulling her away from the wall and she weakly tried to resist. "No, I can't…"

"Of course you can." He refuted. She heard the whir of the sonic and he spoke, his tone low. "Just like I thought."

"Sir, is she already your patient?"

"Yes, she had to be sectioned. Managed to leave hospital. Thought she could do well enough on her own." The Doctor sighed as he pocketed his sonic.

Instantly Laura opened her eyes in protest wanting to refute the lie that the Doctor had given. She intended to speak to tell the stranger that it was this man, this alien was keeping her prisoner. _Sectioning…what is….?_

But her vision hazed and she lost all sense of equilibrium as she started to collapse, her entire body going numb as a result. She barely felt the Doctor catch her before she was left spiraling into unconsciousness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Honor's run down the sidewalk came to an abrupt halt when she nearly slammed into a figure that stepped directly in front of her. She let out a gasp, skidding to a stop but before she could back away, he had taken hold of her arms and spoke.

"Woah there. Usually I prefer introductions first before we decide to part company." He offered her a dazzling smile.

"Jack Harkness." Honor managed. "It's you. We were looking for you." She swallowed.

"My apologies. I was out picking up a pizza." He gestured to the box on the ground. "Would you care to join me?" His manner was flirtatious.

"I-I, well…Laura." She immediately thought of her friend. Now that Honor had found Jack, they had to find Laura before the Doctor did.

"Oh? A friend of yours?"

"Yes, please, you have to help us. My name is Honor." She started, thinking hard. "The Doctor…" She paused trying to conceive a way to tell Jack that would keep the timeline intact. "He thinks we're dangerous because of some particles we have inside us but I swear we're not. We just want to find a way home. That's all."

"Particles." Jack repeated. He was well aware of the impact of what a few particles could do. Torchwood Three had done their own variety of experiments, some of which he regretted. He knew his inability to die was likely caused by an anomaly of which he spent a great deal of time trying to determine the answer.

"He's kept us locked up on the TARDIS." Honor looked at him pleadingly. "Please, you have to know how dangerous it is. We don't want to be there. Can you…" She rephrased. "Will you help us?"

The girl looked the same age as Rose when Jack first met her but he could tell stress had taken its toll. It had to be serious for the Doctor to consider such a drastic course of action that amounted to nothing less then kidnapping but in fairness to the Time Lord whom he worked alongside, he would obtain the Doctor's version of the events. He glanced quickly behind the girl seeing the very man in question returning to his TARDIS, carrying someone with him onboard.

"Why don't I take you downstairs and Gwen can give you the tour? That will give me time to have a little chat with the Doctor." He decided.

"Not without Laura." Honor was adamant. "We need to find her."

"Now that might be tricky. I think the Doctor already took her back onboard the TARDIS." Jack explained.

"What?!" Honor exclaimed.

"Just saw him carrying someone back in that direction and-" Jack started but Honor had suddenly reversed direction heading towards the TARDIS in a fury.

"Hey! Honor! Wait a second." Immediately, he followed as Honor suddenly banged on the door of the time machine.

Several seconds later, the Doctor opened the door, his arms folded across his chest, looking down at his charge. "Honor." His voice was quiet in his displeasure. He glanced up and nodded to his former companion. "Good to see you Jack, despite the circumstances."

"Care to tell me what those circumstances are?"

"Why don't you both step inside." His eyes narrowed on Honor and she knew it wasn't an offer. Nevertheless, she stepped back. "No. Release Laura from whatever mind game you worked her under and then we'll talk outside."

"Laura is confined to sickbay because she collapsed." The Doctor sighed, rocking back on his heels. "Despite what you think, I didn't use telepathy on her. She hasn't been eating, which you know."

"Because of you! Threatening her. You know how terrified she was when you wanted to go inside her mind and change her memories? How soon is it when you will do that to me?" She challenged. "Just like the-" She cut herself off furiously. Her thoughts went to Tai who tried to control her so rigidly at home and then back to this Doctor. He raised his eyebrows. He likely knew what she was about to say since the fear was so prevalent on their minds. The Time Lord Victorious. She wondered whether her nightmares would start to take a new form since the Weeping Angels that had been a threat were now cast out, dispersed or destroyed and now what was there to face? The Master? The Daleks? The Doctor himself? Honor was ill at the thought. She started to back further away only for Jack to take hold of her arms.

"Oh, come now, I don't think it would hurt to hear him out." He told her, moving her forward.

"No, wait!" Honor protested. "You can't put me back onboard that thing. It's not safe!" She exclaimed as she was pushed in the direction of the time machine.

"Please! Not after the angels. The intelligence. It's torture! I can't!" She was in panic and suddenly her asthma hit her with full force. She could scarcely breathe. "Won't…do…"

She found herself on her knees as Jack supported her weight. The Doctor and Jack spoke urgently with one another but as the Doctor reached for her temples, Honor violently flinched. Instantly, she threw up an arm to protect her head from any telepathic attack he might attempt to enforce.

Her airways were restricted and she wheezed, trying desperately to regain control over her compromised respiratory system. She barely felt her arm being taken but the sting of a needle in her vein was well pronounced. She looked at the two men in panic but the Doctor was merely pocketing the empty syringe that Martha had handed to him. A stupor started to overcome her as her spasms within her lungs retreated and at once she was able to breathe without fear acting as an impediment.

She blinked, feeling drained but disconcerted. Wasn't she forgetting something? She couldn't remember.

"Honor?" The Doctor was talking to her. Honor started to smile. He looked just like David Tennant. Or did David Tennant look just like the Doctor? How did it work again? "Are you with me?"

"Tired." Honor managed. "Twenty floors was a long way to fall."

"Twenty floors?" Jack asked.

"She's likely remembering things out of sequence." The Doctor advised. "Why don't you help me take her to her room." He could take his charge there himself but he knew Jack wanted an explanation and after what he'd witnessed, the Doctor would be remiss if he didn't provide one. Together, they helped Honor to her feet who between them, made the staggered journey back to her bedroom where she collapsed on the bed with barely a word in edgewise.

"Can go home now…" She murmured. "Free. Great Intelligence is gone. We got rid…" She closed her eyes and the Doctor scrutinized Honor once more. He would have some questions to put to her once she woke but those would have to wait and he suspected she would be less then forthcoming. He turned to his former companion as the two left her room, closing the door behind them.

"Where to begin…" The Doctor sighed rubbing his forehead wearily as he started to describe the circumstances of how Honor and Laura resulted in his custody.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Laura woke up to find herself within the TARDIS sickbay, the needle from the hard coated IV stand once more welded into her arm and strapped into place by the familiar metal cuff. She pulled on it but there was no give in the device and she released a groan. She had been so close and then something happened. What had happened? Her memory blurred. One moment she was running down the alley and now she found herself waking up here.

_Honor. _She thought. _Did Honor get away? _She had no idea. If her friend escaped, then Laura might still have a chance.

The door suddenly opened and the Doctor entered the room, examining Laura, his expression even but she knew he was angry by the way his eyes seemed to darken. She clenched her jaw. If he was expecting an apology from her, then he would be waiting a while. After all she endured, just to end up back here, she shook her head in refusal, pushing herself up on the bed as far as the IV would allow.

She didn't hesitate, cutting him off before he could speak. "So much for not using telepathy on me." She took a deep breath. "Take this thing off!" Laura gestured to the IV. "You told me you wouldn't force me or pester me to eat! Was that just a lie? Where is Honor?" She hoped her questions would catch him off guard. The best defense was a good offense and mentally she began to steel herself in preparation as the Doctor moved just next to her bed meeting her gaze with one of his own.

"Honor is fine. She's in her room." The Doctor quickly checked Laura's vitals. "You're still upset. I'll leave you 'till you calm down." The Time Lord turned to leave, ignoring her comment about telepathy, and not even responding to her order to remove the IV.

"No, you can't leave me here." Laura pleaded. She was beginning to get desperate. He was ignoring her and she took a deep breath looking at the instrument that was keeping her confined. _Imagine it melting. _Honor and herself used those words to dislodge the door knob with the Great Intelligence. She took hold of the tubing and focused. _Imagine it melting. Imagine it breaking. Shattering under pressure, just like glass...splintering away, breaking apart, coming undone. _The pressure was intense and a dull throb started to resonate in her temples when she heard a sudden crack. Something shattered on the floor. The tugging on her arm was alleviated. She opened up her eyes startled to see that half the IV had simply been torn apart, while pieces of the tubing now freed from the stand was starting to disintegrate. Shards of glass and plastic were everywhere, blown apart and the Doctor had suddenly turned back to her, looking at the scene in shock.

This wasn't what she intended. She just wanted to melt the tubing like she had melted the knob but in her surge of emotions..._chaos. _She had blown it apart. What was she going to do? Without thinking twice, she scrambled off the bed and started to run towards the other door. She had to get out of there.

"Laura!" The Doctor moved with inhuman speed, wrapping his arms around her. "You'll bleed out!" he shouted. He flipped her back onto the bed, pinning her down with one hand, and working frantically to remove what was left of the IV with the other. He tried to ignore her thrashing. He glanced up to the ceiling, about to send a mental message for the TARDIS to send Martha to help him. If nothing else she could give Laura a sedative. But Laura started to calm from the blood loss, enabling the Doctor to stop her bleeding. "What did you do that for?" He looked down at Laura, reattaching a new IV as he spoke. She needed blood now too. He stepped back, giving the girl a look. He was covered with her blood. He was angry.

Laura looked at him, feeling dizzy and took a deep breath. He was bordering on fury, she could tell. "Didn't mean to make it explode." She started. "You weren't listening!" She swallowed hard. The sight of all that blood, her blood on him made her queasy but she struggled to regain control. "He threatened to do to me what you _offered _to do. I felt him inside my head." She shook her head. She was rambling and she knew it. "Couldn't let it happen again. I can't stay here." She started to mutter to herself. "We destroyed him. Trapped him. Can't see Utopia. I won't do it." She looked at the IV in her arm. She wanted to reach for it. To dislodge it but at the moment, she didn't have the strength. She couldn't even lift her head off the pillow.

"He?" questioned the Doctor. The Time Lord clenched his jaw, and willed himself to calm down. "Laura, tell me what happened," he ordered.

"The Great Intelligence." Laura said. "He had the angels send you to another time period so he could get to us. Was going to force us to make more like him. Had us trapped. Threatened to use telepathy to force me to eat and then was going to make Honor suffer." She took a deep breath. "We both felt him in our heads. It hurt so much and..." Her voice trailed. "Honor's nightmares. She never told you, did she?" She asked. "But she figured it out. We created a paradox by jumping from twenty floors up. Poisoned the food source." She closed her eyes. "We had just gotten free only to see the TARDIS return." She looked at him grimly. "We just escaped one cage. Weren't about to just jump right back into yours." She gritted her teeth. "If we found Torchwood-" She started to mutter and cut herself off. At this point in time, the Doctor didn't know about Torchwood Three and its location. Not yet at least. Although, she knew she was putting off the inevitable and he would be quick to learn that her choice for Cardiff as a burial location was a strategic one instead of based merely on sentiment. True, Beth had always wanted to visit Wales but she would be just as content with a burial by any location near the sea. She winced briefly and looked down.

The Doctor moved around the room using his personal blood reserves to create a blood substitute for Laura while he listened. He continually glanced back into Laura's eyes while she talked.

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor. He replaced the emergency saline solution with the altered blood before taking Laura's hand. "I'm so sorry. I should have been watching you better. Shouldn't' have let you out of my sight." He gave her hand a squeeze. "And you shouldn't have tried to run off on your own." He frowned. "You gave me your word, Laura. Why did you lie to me?"

More apologies. She wondered if he ever meant them or whether it was simply a force of habit. She shook her head. "Now there's the pot calling the kettle black. What about your word? You promised us directly you wouldn't torture the Family of Blood. You said 'it wouldn't even be a consideration'." She met his gaze. "You want to know what the Great Intelligence tried to promise?" She paused. "That he would send us home when we were done." She waved her hand in the air, cutting him off. "Oh, I knew that was a lie. You don't need to say it." She glanced around the room. She knew from her talk with Honor that this would happen. But she had been careful in her response and she let her gaze fall back on the Doctor. "I didn't lie to you. I kept my word."

He was about to speak, to offer words in contrary and she nodded firmly before cutting him off. "'_I wouldn't run off during Beth's burial.'" _She repeated the phrase she said when he had asked for her promise. "I didn't. Her burial was done when we decided to leave." She gave a shrug. "As far as running, I really don't have the stamina for sprinting. We walked to the taxi." He was scrutinizing her with a look of disbelief.

"Well, not my fault you didn't phrase your promises better. But I never lied to you. I just learned the value of informational hegemony and neoclassical argument." How could he really expect to extract a full promise from her when he didn't keep his word? Beside which, Laura found merit in her argument. Hegemony was authoritative power and so often he have it over herself and Honor. They were subjugated to it. She had one card in her favor at the time and it was to deliver an oath that was true in words although the Doctor never looked into the small print or asked her to swear to not attempt to escape at all. As far as she was concerned, she was true to her message and the intent it had on the person receiving it. The very essence of neoclassic debate. She smiled inwardly. Perhaps if her professor knew she retained some of the knowledge of her class and was using it in this way, she might be pleased. Then Laura grimaced, seeing the Doctor's expression. He did not appear impressed. She clenched her fists together. He had not spent this time in this universe being constantly threatened, confined, imprisoned and tormented. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"Laura, when I told you I wouldn't hurt The Family, I meant it. I didn't lie. In the heat of the moment I made a mistake. Everything I've told you has been the truth." The Doctor sighed. He stepped back rubbing his hands back and forth through his hair. "You keep trying to paint me as the villain here. I'm not the Doctor from your stories. When I offered to help you using telepathy, it was just that, an offer not a command. Yes. I'm keeping you on the TARDIS. But Laura, you've seen what can happen if I don't. The Great Intelligence is just one creature who could use you to destroy the universe. There are countless others you can't handle on your own. And then there's your Time Lord parentage. You may not know it yet, but you need me." He ran his hand over his face. "Lying to me only puts you in more danger. And no matter what you call it, you know that's what you did."

"A mistake. You sentenced each member of that family to their personal hell. Why?" Laura demanded. "I truly want to know because I've seen that episode at home and really, since you go through the trouble of giving every opponent you meet a chance, why did you do that to them?" She attempted to push herself up on her elbows. "The Sycorax. You gave them a chance. How many people did they kill?" She challenged. "The Daleks while you and Martha were in Manhattan? The Slitheen?" She swallowed. "Why the Family? A short-lived species. Like mayflies, you said. You're torturing insects. They just wanted to live. Yes, they killed but you know what?" She looked at him squarely. "If they hadn't taken us hostage, they would have started blowing up the town. They were just..." She shook her head, closing her eyes. "Just acting on instinct. Self preservation. So why? Why them?"

He appeared silent at her request and she looked away feeling miserable. "Keeping us on the TARDIS is torture. Subjugating us like this...I can't do this. Honor is falling apart. We were doing just fine in our dimension despite our _Time Lord parentage. _We didn't need you then. Nothing has changed! We cleaned up our own mess. Surely we can protect ourselves." She thought about the Time Lord Victorious and muttered to herself quietly. "But who protects the universe from you?" Oh, he could claim to not be the Doctor from the other timelines but when he so quickly didn't heed their warnings and still set course to punish the Family just as he did on television, both herself and Honor saw the beginning of the Time Lord Victorious right there even if he did not. She stared at the IV with a look of disgust. If she could break it just right without tearing open her vein...maybe if she could self heal like Sara. Laura frowned. She was already in trouble with the ability she had much less adding another would only increase their difficulties.

The Doctor took in a deep breath. This wasn't working. He wasn't getting through to her. Every time he thought he was making headway, she'd bring up The Family of Blood, and wave his mistake around like a banner. Maybe he should just give them what they wanted like he did with The Family. The Family wanted eternal life. He gave it to them. Laura and Honor wanted to be on their own. Maybe he should just give that to them. _No_, he thought. _ I can't put the rest of the universe in that kind of danger. _But she was right. This couldn't continue. It wasn't fair to them, and it wasn't fair to him. It certainly wasn't fair to Martha.

"Time Lords can do a great number of things in this dimension I'm sure you know nothing about. Telepathy, regeneration, telekinesis, molecular destabilization, and even teleportation were not uncommon in ancient times. Mixed in with your human genetics, you have no idea how dangerous you could be. Add to that your connections to seeing time lines and... You're going to need my help. I don't know why your abilities were so limited in your original dimension. But in this reality..." The Doctor shook his head. "Maybe it's time I stopped traveling." He looked at Laura. "Now that I have people to care for." He nodded. "I should take Martha home." Spending some time in the vortex would give the girls a chance to heal, and give him some time to figure out how best to help them. And if they were going to spend some time in the vortex, there was no reason for Martha to stay.

Laura's eyes widened. This was his solution? All she and Honor wanted was to separate from the Doctor. To not interfere with his time line but if he took Martha home...she swallowed, remembering Lilly's words.

"You can't. Martha has to stay with you. She's important. We're..." She struggled to speak. "We're not. There's a paradox. If you send Martha away, that could destroy the universe. If you stop traveling..." She shook her head, looking at her hands. "I didn't want this. I don't want you to be the villain but..." She paused, remembering what she wrote with Sara. How the timelines she sensed, the people she read about, wrote about altered things, changed was to occur. "That's what will happen with us around and it will be our fault. My fault. I already sensed...knew about Sara. That Doctor. I can't mar your timeline too. I won't. If you become the..." She closed her eyes, struggling to breathe. "We'll ruin things for you. Everything. I can't do that. That's why..." She finally looked at him. "That's why we ran...but if you stop traveling the entire universe will die."

The Doctor grimaced. "If you don't stay with me, the universe will die." The Time Lord tapped his temple. "I've got a bit of Time Lord parentage myself." Could he trust her? She'd out right lied to him before. Was she lying to him now, still trying to run? But more importantly, did she believe him? "Seems we're at an impasse. I know you have to stay. You believe I have to keep traveling. What do you suggest?" Maybe she'd finally listen. Maybe she'd finally see reason. Maybe they could start moving past the mistakes they'd both made. He hoped.

"You don't believe me." Laura simply looked away from him. "You want to know what happened when Sara came to that Doctor's universe?" She swallowed. "She altered things. Changed things. The timeline didn't happen like it was meant to because she was there when she wasn't supposed to be. He didn't snap out of becoming the Time Lord Victorious..." Her words trailed. "He..." She took a deep breath. "Do you have any idea of what it is like for us?" She asked. "We only tried to get away so we wouldn't ruin you because I know that will happen." Her thoughts drifted. "Didn't think it could get worse after the rape. Knew I was already damaged so what more could anyone do? Then I came here, lost everything, saw people die just because they were in the way...then he, that thing violated my mind after I promised I wouldn't let it happen." Tears started to trickle down her cheeks. The memory of Beth's death repeated through her mind as well as the agony that she and Honor endured not knowing whether they would survive the Great Intelligence. "And you want to know why we ran?" Her voice started to shake. "You want to...know why...I lied..." She broke into sobs, turning away from him feeling unable to face him. He was never going to let them go and she knew on her own, she would ruin him. Turn him into the thing she dreaded the most. For her, the results would likely be even worse then Sara. She might even see the rise of the Valeyard and it would be her fault. "I can't..." She tried to speak but her voice faltered. Laura didn't know what to do at this point and right at that moment, she had never felt more lost.

"Oi." The Doctor's voice was soft. "Don't do that. Don't give up when we're just getting started. We'll figure this out." He took hold of her hand again. "Together." He could see how exhausted Laura was, and wondered how she could still be awake. Maybe Honor would want to come sit with her, he thought. Laura shouldn't be left alone. The Doctor wondered if Honor was awake yet.

Ugh. He still had Jack to deal with. That wasn't something he was looking forward to, but he really should get back to the ex-time agent. Leaving him alone with Martha was NOT a good idea. Besides the two of them swapping stories, he knew how persuasive Jack could be with the ladies. He cringed. Martha hadn't seemed to mind. The Doctor turned his attention back to Laura. He wouldn't leave her like this. He looked up to the ceiling, and asked the TARDIS to call Martha to the medical bay. What a mess this day had been! He could only hope tomorrow would be better.

Laura felt drained as she felt her tears started to dry on her cheeks. She almost felt numb inside and she took a chance to glance at the Doctor who was still holding her hand.

"I'm sorry." She said faintly. "Sorry I lied. Didn't know another way. I swear to God, all we wanted was to stop marring your timeline. Stop from ruining you, destroying you. What if you die because of us or worse? Then it would be our fault. Mine because I knew better. I don't want the universe to die because of me or us." She shuddered. "If you die or we ruin you, then your universe, everything dies. Our fault. Mine. I promise you I'm not lying." She wondered whether he would believe her. Had she been going about this the wrong way? All their attempts to run seemed to make things worse. At this point, she was befuddled, unable to discern how to progress forward. Was it really possible to start again after so many mistakes had been made? Her gaze shifted back down to her hands in confusion.

"You swear to God." It wasn't a question. He was mulling those words over in his mind. Maybe there was another way to help this human hybrid understand. "You're religion is important to you. Isn't it?" The Doctor ran his free hand over his mouth. "If I understand it correctly, forgiveness is a key factor in what you believe." He carefully looked at Laura to make sure he wasn't crossing some invisible line. He locked eyes with her. He took a deep breath. "I forgive you." He squeezed her hand. "I completely and utterly forgive you. I will never bring it up again. I will never try to make you feel guilty about it, or use it to hurt you. I will always know it happened. Big Time lord Brain and all. But I forgive you." The Doctor licked his lips. "And I ask, not demand, not expect... I HOPE that you can forgive me too." He gave Laura a watery smile.

"And about this business with the idea of everyone dying... There's ALWAYS a chance that will happen. Every moment of every hour of every day in our entire existence the entire universe is continually at risk. At this very moment I'm fully aware of more than 3.42 billion possible ends to this universe. That doesn't count the one's I'm not aware of. Of those 3.42 billion possible ends 367 are distinct, 84 are serious, and 18 are near critical. You and Honor staying with me is one of them. We can only do what we can do. The rest we leave to fate. Weeeell," the Doctor rocked back on his heals but still held her hand, "I suppose in your case, the rest you leave to your God. But Laura, I'm sure He wouldn't want you to destroy yourself over it. Everything has its time. And everything dies." The Doctor inwardly smirked at the irony of the situation. It was the first time he'd used the idea of the end of the universe, and the end of all life, along with just how dire the chances of survival were, to comfort somebody.

Laura struggled to determine how to proceed. Her beliefs were very important to her but at the moment she felt as though she were a hypocrite. It didn't matter whether or not the person she dealt with believed in God. She was supposed to treat everyone with the same respect. The same dignity. She was supposed to be willing to forgive. She hadn't. At every opportunity, she flaunted the Time Lord's mistake in front of him even though he said he was attempting to rectify it. She used it as ammunition because she didn't like the feeling of being trapped just as she felt those years ago.

"I know I'm a hypocrite." She took a deep breath. "I haven't even forgiven the person who attacked me yet and it's been five years. I'm working on it but..." She shrugged. "It's just I struggle with it. With being cornered, being helpless and I..." She paused. "Why take the risk? If we can destroy the universe just by being with you, why do it?" She swallowed. "Because this feels or has felt like imprisonment. Maybe if I really understand why, I can..." Her voice trailed. "Honor and I know so many years of your life. I'm not sure it's worth your life to keep us onboard. It's...well, I know I'm not worth the risk. I don't know why you would take it." Maybe if she tried to understand him better, attempted to listen then some degree of compromise could be forged. Sara was often too hot tempered, running instead of trying to listen to the Doctor. Laura frowned. Perhaps she was more like Sara then she wanted to admit. So desperate to get away, that she didn't see she was making things worse. Perhaps Clara's words advising the Doctor to 'listen' as a small child went both ways. Laura had to be willing to listen too.

_YES! _ The Doctor's hearts sang. She was listening. He'd gotten through to her. If he didn't think it would have negative consequences, he would have sprung to his feet for a happy dance. As it was, he stood up, releasing her hand. He knew what he said next could send them right back to where they were, or begin a wonderful friendship. He ran his hand through his hair, and took a moment to think. He took a moment to run through everything he could say.

"First of all," the Doctor raised his finger, "You're not a hypocrite. The fact that you're listening to me now proves that." He paused. "Second," he raised another finger, "the fact that you're still trying to forgive your attacker proves you haven't failed your faith. Third," he continued, "you're worth it. And the moment I stop trying to help those that are worth it because of something that MIGHT happen... Weeell, that... That's... that's just. Just kill me now. Because that's not who I want to be." He put his hands in his pockets. "Besides, you don't know everything. Having you with me might make things work out better. And I know leaving you on your own will all but guarantee your time lines cut short along with countless others. As a Time Lord, it's my right and my duty to help you and the others who would die if you don't stay with me." He pursed his lips. "Look at it this way. You think if you stay with me, I MIGHT die. Others MIGHT die too. If you leave, I know you WILL die. I know others WILL die with you." The Doctor hesitated. The next thing he was about to say could make or break his case. "If it was up to you, if you were me," he inhaled, "what chance would you take?"

Laura looked at him with a degree of consternation. It was hard for her to fathom living all those centuries, having those experiences, feeling the weight of the universe while knowing every fixed point in time. She swallowed trying to think. This was an alien who lived for centuries but seemed to have a special consideration for earth even though humans by comparison were short lived. In her story and from her research, she knew the TARDIS thought of his companions as strays or pets. She had seen so many episodes, right up through season eight and the episode 'Listen', right before she arrived in this dimension. _Listen. _Isn't that what Sara told her when the Great Intelligence had them trapped in that building? "Being afraid is all right." Laura repeated the words Clara said quietly to herself. "Because didn't anybody every tell you? Fear is a superpower."

She glanced up at the Doctor. He appeared a bit startled and she bit her lip. She remembered how afraid he was as a little boy out there in that barn all alone. Now he was the last of his kind, all things considered. When Sara formed that bond with the Doctor in 'Lost in Reality', now an alternate timeline, even after that Time Lord considered Sara 'nothing but trouble', he indeed later thought it was worth it to do something drastic to save her life even though she could have been used to destroy multiple universes. She forgave him. '_What do you think he deserves?' _Nine had asked Sara when Ten found out about the pain his telepathy had caused her.

_'A second chance.' _It was Laura's idea for Sara to give consent to Ten to use telepathy on her. She knew it was the right thing to do. Sensed it. They were family...

Family. That could be the reason. For him, they were all that remained of his people. Laura knew already the kinship she felt with Honor just from being from the same dimension. There likely would be nothing she wouldn't do for her. To save her. She had already known she would have died to save Beth. They were worth it. Just like her family. They were all she had left.

The Doctor...his companions. Honor and herself. They were all he had left. Otherwise he was alone. Empty. Maybe that prompted the rise of the Time Lord Victorious. Without Rose, there was no one else to ground him and he fell to despair not wanting to lose another person uncomplicated by the weight of emotions. How often had she struggled not to lose someone else in her life?

"After losing Beth..." She started, pressing her lips together to hold back the grief of that memory. "None. I can't lose someone else. I would rather..." Her words trailed. She thought about what the Great Intelligence did, wanting to use them to nearly destroy the universe. If the Master got their hands on them...she shuddered. "There was no other choice." She closed her eyes in realization however bleak it was, burying her face in her hands. "I don't know how to start over. Already so damaged...and Honor but..." She paused. "I can forgive what you did if you promise me, promise us you'll fix it. That you'll listen to us and then...maybe, we can all take that second chance."

The Doctor stepped forward, taking her hand. "Laura, I promise I'll do my best to fix my mistake. I already am. And I promise to listen. I can't promise I'll do everything you say. I won't promise that to anyone. But I promise to take your concerns seriously. Is that good enough?"

"I never said to do everything I say. I'm only human. I make mistakes too. I just didn't want to..." Her voice trailed. "She said fear is a superpower but when we got scared, we gave the Great Intelligence a body by accident. I don't want to screw up like that again." That was part of the reason why she desperately tried to get away from the TARDIS. Their fears of imprisonment and of what would occur contributed directly into the formation of the psychopath who ruthlessly hunted them down. But at this point, Laura was tired of running. "Do you know how...can you help us stop that from happening again?" She paused. "Maybe we can just try to compromise. I think Honor is tired of running." She sighed. "I think I am too. I don't have the energy for it anymore."

She glanced at the IV, indeed feeling weary, hating to find herself in this position again. _What happened anyway? _She could usually recall if the Doctor did order her to sleep. Those moments were distinct in her mind but all she remembered was running into the alley and everything seemed to haze. She licked her lips. "You didn't use telepathy on me." She realized. "I passed out, didn't I?" Now, she just felt terrible at her earlier accusation as the Time Lord looked at her with compassion in his eyes. She had barely had the energy to run from the Great Intelligence and after his attack, there was nothing less for her body to draw on. Her hunger strikes left her depleted. With a groan, she covered her face with her free hand. She thought she had control over food, her eating habits but even that small attempt had backfired on her so completely.

"You were clear when you said you didn't want me touching your mind in the library," he explained. "Short of saving your life, I wouldn't go against your wishes." The Doctor sat on Laura's bedside. "And yes, I can help you with your abilities." He looked at Laura, worried about scaring her again. "I want to be clear, Laura. I won't force this. But when you're ready, and if you're willing, I could go into your mind." The Doctor held up his hand, motioning Laura to wait. "I wouldn't change anything without your verbal consent. And I know there's a trust issue here. So, we'd have to work on that first. But if and when you're ready, I could use telepathy to train you how to control your own mind. There are some Time Lord concepts, some language barriers, which would be more easily overcome through telepathy. Once you learn how to control your thoughts, you'll have better control over your emotions and reactions. You would be less likely to be triggered by others. And you would have more control over your abilities. It wouldn't be an instant solution. It would be learning a new skill not changing who you are." He patted her hand. "Don't come to any decisions now. There's no rush. And you can always change your mind." He stood up. "In the meantime, when you feel out of control, try tapping your chest with three fingers while inhaling deeply like this." He demonstrated the motion. "The breathing along with the physical tapping will trigger your mind to calm, and give you a chance to make more of a choice and less of a reaction." The Time Lord watched the human. She was so exhausted, he couldn't tell if she was accepting what he was offering, or if she was just falling asleep. _Where's Martha_, he wondered. _Jack had better not be keeping her. I still need to check on Honor._

"Physical tapping." Laura repeated. She was starting to drift. It had been such a long day and she was physically and emotionally drained. He mentioned telepathy. She grimaced slightly. She remembered how one of her reviewers, Christy wanted that included in her story, 'Lost in Time'. She had been reluctant of the notion because of her own privacy concerns but then created a scenario where it was necessary. In the end, she couldn't write the actual first encounter being the verbiage was too similar to the violation she experienced.

Sara eventually consented to telepathy but at the time, Laura thought it only a story. Now that she knew Sara was real, she couldn't imagine how difficult that must have been. Her eyes started to close. Maybe the Doctor was right. She could think about it. The suggestion made her nervous but….but, if it prevented something like the Great Intelligence coming after them, she might have to consider it.

_Later…_She thought. Things were already slipping away and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

The Doctor smiled briefly as he watched Laura subside into unconsciousness. At least he made headway and she seemed to finally understand in some part his position. This relieved him even though he knew he had to speak with Honor and that conversation would prove to be no small task. _She should be waking up now. _The treatment that he gave her for her asthma included a mild sedative to alleviate her anxiety, which was complicating her airway constriction. He wanted to check on her to ensure no complications. He had the TARDIS monitor her vitals while she was in her room but certainly was aware that he needed to follow up. Putting both girls in sickbay at the same time after they attempted to flee his custody, well, he knew he was simply borrowing trouble. At least until he had a chance to speak to them both.

The door opened and Martha stepped in. "You rang?" She asked. Jack was directly behind her. "I was just telling Jack about the time we-"

"Riiight." The Doctor said. "Jack and I need to have a talk." He looked at his former companion suspiciously. Something felt not quite right about him. He wanted to know what that was. "Do you mind sitting with Laura for a bit?"

Martha glanced at the girl on the medbay bed. "But she's asleep with an IV. Where is she going to-"

"You didn't see what she did to the last IV." The Doctor noted. "Just for a little while, Martha, I promise. I have to check on Honor too. Only so many hands."

"Anything I can do?" Jack asked, looking at Laura appraisingly. "I could keep Martha company if-"

"No." The Doctor said firmly. "Martha will be fine. Why don't I show you the kitchens?" He looked at Jack, fixing him with a stare so he knew it wasn't a suggestion.

"Your ship, your rules." Jack replied, humor in his tone before looking back at Martha. "Until next time."

"Who said there was a next time?" Martha scoffed at him just as readily before settling herself in a chair next to Laura's bed. She had been initially flattered by his attention but it became quite obvious he was very much the ladies man. While casual flirtation was one thing, she wasn't about to get involved with a man she barely met but despite her efforts, he remained somewhat incorrigible.

She watched the two men depart and glanced at Laura. She was certainly starting to look better. Still a bit underweight but if anyone could reach her, the Doctor could. She only hoped he would have the same luck with Honor. Rubbing her eyes, she opened her novel anticipating the next several hours would be lengthy ones indeed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor stood at the door of Honor's room, taking a deep breath before he knocked on the door. Since he had finished conversing with Jack, he knew the girl must already be awake and now he had come time to fix things between the two of them. Knocking on the door, he spoke. "Honor, I think it's time for us to talk."

There was a pause before shuffling could be heard and the bedroom door opened, revealing a rumpled looking teenager. "...'Kay. I s'pose you want to...to know everythin', 'bout the Great Intelligence and-and... what happened." The words came out stiffly and haltingly, as if she was trying to get her thoughts in order and not say anything that she couldn't easily take back. She opened the door wider and retreated a step backwards before heading back over to the bed. Avoiding his eyes, she began to busily straighten the sheets so as to have an excuse to not having to face him. Honor wouldn't admit it to the Doctor, but she was embarrassed. She hadn't had an asthma attack that bad in years...the last one having almost caused her death.

It was disorientating and a bit distressing to wake up hours later in her room, her body shaking off the last traces of the compound he gave her. The trembles had ended several minutes ago, but her nervous energy still remained as well as her wounded pride. Most people didn't realize how humbling it was to have one's body completely fail them, leaving them entirely at the mercy of others. And considering how she was yelling at her savior earlier in a blind rage, it made everything all the more humiliating. If she had the choice, Honor would've avoided talking to the Time Lord a little longer to recover some more of her self-esteem.

The Doctor took note of Honor's heightened anxiety as he slowly made his way inside the room, pulling out a chair just underneath her desk. Taking a seat to face his charge at eye level who had taken position on the bed, he looked at her calmly. "How are you feeling?" He started. "Gave me a bit of a scare with that asthma attack of yours." He kept his tone casual but he was thankful that Martha had been prepared, taken account of Honor's medical history and had the medicine on hand.

Honor unconsciously stiffened, crossing her arms and legs. "I'm fine," she told him curtly, wanting to avoid the subject. "Doesn't usually happen, no worries." Picking at a loose thread on the new green sweater she was wearing, she asked, "What do you know already?"

He leaned forward, propping his elbows up on his knees, his chin in his hands. "Weeeell, Laura filled me in on a bit. Told me how you managed to figure out how to defeat him. Mentioned your nightmares as well." He grimaced. No wonder she hadn't looked well. He raised a hand, knowing her next question already. "Don't worry. Laura's fine. She fell back asleep in sickbay. You can see her in a little while." He pressed onward. "I wish you told me about the dreams. I might have been able to help." He paused as the girl looked down and shook his head. "Still it was good thinking. Brilliant actually. A paradox poisoning the time stream. Probably couldn't have done it better myself buuut..." He paused. "I'd like to know more. Your side of the story. A bit more about your dreams." He let out a sigh. "Laura admitted to me she doesn't feel she is able to control her abilities and I think we should talk about that." He looked at her directly. "Want to tell me how this started?"

Honor hesitated and squirmed on the bed uncomfortably, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs. "This...The dream, with the angels, I had it once back home, 'bout two months back. Freaked me out then, but I forgot about it until I had it again after my first night here. Had to keep lookin' directly at 'em or they'd be invisible. Mirrors and the corner of the eye didn't work. The lights were out and it was a storm outside. So many rooms, but I didn't realize then that it was the same place he took us to, twenty floors up." She closed her eyes with a shudder. "After Beth's death, they got worse, more details. I dreamt of falling, heard them laughin', the angels. Wasn't natural. Then he started poppin' up..."

The 'he' that Honor had been referring to was the Master, but since she didn't specify, the Doctor assumed that she met the Great Intelligence. "Wasn't really my idea, you know," she said suddenly, reflectively. "I got it from the show. You mentioned-well, I guess will mention-what happens with a paradox, if it interrupts the angels' food source. I just remember it, when I saw her, the Future Laura, she looked like Ro...like someone else, lying there on the bed. She wasn't old, but she looked so tired, as if she was. I didn't know where Future Me was. She told me to run before it was too late. It was like some insane game of Tag, 'cept if you got caught, it would be worse than death. Almost as bad as that game of Hide 'n' Seek. He was a terrible cheat, by the way," Honor joked feebly. "The tombstones were actually angels, was too hard to tell until it was too late. Thought I could blink, you know, really quickly. On the show, they didn't move so fast, like a couple yards a blink. On the show, it was scary, but this..." Her voice failed. "It was so much worse."

"I imagine it was. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." He hesitated. "But Honor you decided to run from me as soon as you returned. As clever as you are, there are hundreds of of species out there you won't be able to handle on your own. Being who you are, it was a good thing you remembered." He was directly referring to her ability to see different timelines. "Otherwise, the Great Intelligence could of used to destroy the universe. Laura told me about his use of telepathy." Honor's reaction to his attempt to use telepathy on her to calm her made sense to him now. "It sounds pretty painful."

He took some time to consider Honor's dreams. If this was a way the girl was perceiving time, then he wanted a better handle of what he was dealing with. Dreams could be used to send messages regardless of the respective time period but it appeared that their abilities were rapidly accelerating. He began to wonder if the physics of this universe was interacting with their Time Lord genetics and suddenly took a deep breath in speculation. _Crossing the void to this universe might have caused the original artron in their cellular membranes to replicate activating their nucleotide sequencing upon their arrival here. _It would explain the indicators he saw pointing towards mutation but he looked at Honor. _Have to take this slowly. _He told himself. "Was the Great Intelligence in any of your dreams?" He wanted to see how specific they were. "Was he in Laura's? Perhaps before either of you came here?" The Doctor knew they had been friends previously but in speaking to Laura, he garnered very little of the form the Great Intelligence had been given except it invoked a great fear response. He noticed that she was shaking and carefully pushed himself off the chair, taking a seat next to his charge and took her hand. She glanced up at him startled but didn't immediately pull away, which he took as a good sign. "I'm sorry." He softened his voice. "I am just trying to help. Your dreams have been your mind's way of interpreting time. It's a lot to sort through but here is where you're fortunate. You happen to have an expert in the area." The Doctor hoped he was making headway.

Honor gave a half-hearted smile. "Well, at least one of us is." She paused. "My sister, Kiley, she used to have the weirdest dreams. Some of them more frightening and terrible than others. I wonder if she was seeing time lines too. We always entertained the idea of being distantly blood related. There was one family name that was so close to my last name, just one letter off. Used to joke about it being a typo. She seems more like a Time Lord than I do. Her dreams, general intuition, and all those times when she seemed to _know_ that we needed to leave the woods, when it wasn't safe, like a stronger danger-sense."

The red head gnawed on her lip reflectively. "I miss her. Wouldn't wish her bein' here though. She never liked the show, despite my efforts." Honor laughed. "Just didn't care for it. Plus, she'd probably kick your butt too, if you tried to keep her aboard. Has five swords and knows how to use 'em." She sighed. "Also, don't wish her to even meet the Great Intelligence. You were right, Laura and I knew of him before, his form. There was another show, called 'Sherlock', where there was a modern day Sherlock Holmes. Originally, he was just a character that we both liked a lot. They called him a sociopath on the show, but I knew he just had Asperger's. I used to date a guy who had it. It wasn't until we were writing a fan fiction, a story, that we realized differently. I was only writing what I thought he would do if he met Penny and Sara, what he would say, and how he would react."

Honor wrapped her arms tightly around herself in a mock-hug. "You know those films where they find little green men from Mars and what Area 52 is suspected to be? Think of that, but worse. I can't believe that it might've happened, that we might've _actually_ been seeing a time line together. It was just a 'what if' scenario. And then when we thought about them meeting other questionable characters done by that actor, one of them actually being a psychopath, the closest a human could get to being the Valeyard, well, after we finished writing the rough drafts anyway. We didn't finish it yet. Never posted it. It's not hard to see why we feared him. Laura saw him in her dreams more than mine, I wasn't as big a fan of that show. I didn't have him in any of my dreams until I came here. Laura had at least two that she told me about before we came here, 'bout him chasing her down a set of stairs and...something. I think using telepathy. Can't remember, 's been awhile. Might have to ask 'er later."

The Doctor thought about this. He would have to follow up with Laura although the fact that the Great Intelligence adapted a form of Sherlock Holmes was troubling. In their universe the person might only be relegated to fiction and though the general conception of humans was that Sherlock Holmes was a character by Sir Conan Doyle, the Doctor had met the actual figure in his previous regenerations. In tribute to the man he met, in his fourth regeneration, he dressed in his style of clothing. If the show that was currently in the TARDIS mainframe was about a timeline taking place in the future, he would have to look into it and likely expunge it from the TARDIS mainframe given the possibility that the original Sherlock Holmes could have descendants with the same name. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. One more complication since their world evidently seemed to televise possible timelines without knowing the true damage or impact that could have.

"It's a good question, Honor. What if someone like that were to get their hands on either of you?" He posed. "I took you both on board the TARDIS for your protection and that of the universe." He looked at her seriously. "After seeing what the Great Intelligence nearly forced you both to do, could you try to see it from my perspective?" The Doctor pressed his lips together. "The Great Intelligence was one creature but there are quite a few others who would love to get their hands on either of you. 'What if' they do?" He used her words. Perhaps her ability to see timelines including the scenario she and Laura had written might be a way to help clarify things. "What do you think would happen?"

He noted her lingering silence as her face seemed to pale and he squeezed her hand. "Do you see at all why you and Laura need to stay with me?"

"I...I think I might," Honor confessed in a small voice. "But...I hate to say this, but what're we going to do if something like the Family happens again. I know you made a mistake, I make 'em too, a lot of 'em, but what if it keeps happening? I lived with someone who had an anger issue. When he lost it, there wasn't any reasoning with 'im. He was right, and no one could say otherwise or just remain quiet, had to agree with him. I don't think you're as bad as him, you've been so patient and understanding. But you lost yourself and forgot for a moment. If it happens again, what's goin' to snap you out of it? Who can stop you from yourself? I can't. I'd probably just run, I've done it before. Fear...is not a super power for me, it's a weakness, my vice. I'm a coward, so I might just take the easy way out. I might just run again, hide, and hope I won't be found." The girl gently broke his grip on her hand and held it close to herself, gripping her sweater edges tightly and whispering, "What will you do then, Doctor?"

There was that phrase again. Both Laura and Honor had used it directly in speaking with him and it resonated with him. Both girls seemed to know exactly what words to use around him. He took a breath, leaning forward. "You know, we're not all that different. Back when I stole my TARDIS, I started running. I was afraid too but you can choose how to use your fear. Whether it makes you stronger or it holds you back." He paused. "But from what you've told me, you didn't let that happen when facing the Great Intelligence. It wasn't cowardice that caused you to jump over that ledge not knowing what would happen." He took a moment to think. "A person can only run so far." He sighed. "I can't promise that I won't make another mistake. I can say I'll do the best I can and that I'll listen to what you both have to say." He slowly got up from the bed and turned to look at her. "So any chance on buying more glue directly from the source?" He remembered her metaphor from their previous conversation.

Despite herself, Honor let out a small laugh, "Oh, I s'pose. You just got a new shipment of it. Go crazy." She paused, a nervous look briefly flitted over her face. "Just...not literally, 'kay?" Biting her lip, she joined the Doctor in a standing position and quickly changed the subject. "All that running... It can work up an appetite, yeah? I'll see what I can find in the kitchen...maybe try to eat something." To be honest, it was originally just her way of extending her hand in truce. She was going to eat something small, but the more she thought about it, the more Honor realized she _was _feeling hungry. "I'm craving something meaty, like...steak or something," she offered. "Should I make a lot? See who else is hungry?"

Unfettered relief flowed through him and he couldn't help but give his charge a grin. Perhaps he eventually the three of them could build a basis for a more solid friendship and with both girls willing to move past his mistake, he was in a better position to ensure their safety. He knew he had to be careful. He mentioned the prospect of telepathy in working with their abilities with Laura but not with Honor. At this point, he was uncertain precisely what Laura heard before she fell asleep and likely such a conversation should wait until he was able to sit down with both girls present, able to listen to his suggestion.

"I was hoping you might say that." He told her. Honor's appetite reasserting itself was a good sign. Maybe, just maybe, Laura's would follow suit. "Think Martha might be hungry too. I left her to keep an eye on Laura and then there's Jack..." His voice trailed and he cringed inwardly. He left him alone in the kitchen hoping he would find food a good substitute for his other appetites but it had been a while. He also needed to check on Laura and relieve Martha from her post in sickbay. His companion, he knew, must be exhausted at this point.

"The kitchen is at your disposal. Make anything you would like. Any chance after your done eating, you'd want to see Laura? I believe she could use a bite to eat." He kept his voice light. "Why don't I take you to the one nearest your room?" He offered her his hand rather then simply taking hers. His decision to lead her to an alternate location wasn't just motivated by convenience. He didn't like the idea of Honor being left alone with Jack in the same close proximity. He knew his former companion far too well.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Several hours later left Martha feeling exhausted and famished. The Doctor still hadn't returned and Laura was still asleep. She was frustrated. She didn't want to leave Laura alone and fail the Doctor in that simple request but had he forgotten that she was only human, needing to eat and sleep just like anyone else?

"Oh come on." She muttered. "What happened to a few hours?" She rubbed her eyes. "Bloody well turned into all night if you ask me."

The door opened, startling Martha but she turned expecting to find the Doctor only to see Jack instead.

"Where's the Doctor?" She asked in confusion.

"He deserted me to speak with Honor." He explained. "I was getting lonely."

"Lonely." Martha shook her head. "Well I'm starving." Her stomach was already growling loudly. "Would you mind sitting with Laura for a bit while I grab something to eat? Shouldn't take long."

He looked at Laura and then back at Martha with a smile that radiated a perfect set of teeth. "Of course not." His tone was smooth. "Take your time."

"Right, okay." Martha blinked her eyes quickly, struggling to stay awake. Perhaps she would put on a strong pot of coffee and then….she looked at Laura. Maybe the girl would be up for some solid food. A sandwich wouldn't be too difficult on her stomach. She nodded at Jack. "Thank you." She told him as she made her way out the door.

"Anytime." Jack replied, as he assumed the chair next to Laura's bed, glancing at the occupant with interest. The Doctor did seem to keep a steady retinue of female companions onboard with him, not that he was ever one to complain.

Eventually, the girl shifted on the bed, as she started to open her eyes, looking at him with some astonishment.

"Jack Harkness?" Laura was dumbfounded. How did he get here? They never made it to Torchwood and all of a sudden, he was right by her bed just as she woke up in sickbay. _What…?_

"And you must be Laura." He said charmingly. "Martha asked me to keep an eye on you. I certainly didn't mind." He slowly stood up. "Couldn't imagine leaving you here all by yourself. No one to talk to. Not after all the trouble you went through to pay me a visit."

"Oh. You know about that." She was a bit embarrassed. "I, well, Honor and I…"

She was suddenly startled when he took her hand and oddly started to stroke her palm. "I'm never one to turn down a lady in distress."

Laura could feel the warmth in her cheeks as her heart started to pound. Oh, she wasn't good at all with these situations. She knew about Jack's reputation and that he likely flirted with anything that moved but she had long since been out of the dating scene to be know how to respond to such commentary.

_If only Honor was awake. _Laura thought for a moment but then remembering the constant nightmares the other girl had been experiencing, she knew her friend deserved all the rest, free of dreams she could obtain, which left Laura with him. Why would the Doctor leave Jack of all people alone with her? It didn't help that she had sported the smallest crush on him while he was on the show. _At least the Great Intelligence didn't take his form…that would just be disturbing and…_She paused in consternation of her thoughts. _Wrong. _It was bad enough they had given him the form he had previously before he became trapped in the disintegrating timeline. She swore once she was released from her medbay, she would delete every episode of Sherlock from her computer so there would be no reminder of his existence. No chance of making the same mistake twice.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jack posed to her and Laura turned, taking a deep breath.

"Just wishing I wasn't strapped to this thing." Laura indicated the IV. "It's kind of awkward to…" Her voice trailed and Jack smiled.

"I understand completely how you feel." He released her hand to circle around her bed. "Lucky for you I have a bit of a medical background." He was examining the IV and chuckled. "Oh, the Doctor didn't want you running off, did he?"

Laura took a deep breath. "Well….he did sort of chase us down from an alley and dragged us onto the TARDIS from a park. Wasn't the best of circumstances."

"He told me." Jack raised his eyebrows. "Both you and your friend are anomalies." He gave a casual shrug. "But then I'm an anomaly too. We already seem to have so much in common."

He removed a device and Laura's eyes widened as he initiated a scan. It looked almost exactly like the Doctor's sonic screwdriver yet without the whirring and buzzing noise she had grown accustomed to.

"You have a sonic?" She was considerably surprised. Had the Doctor given him one before he was abandoned on Platform Five? Did he acquire it himself? She had seen all of two Torchwood episodes and didn't recall watching Jack using the device in either one.

"I pick up things here and there." That was his casual if yet vague reply and Laura decided not to pursue this. _He's been alive for nearly a couple hundred years. Must know what he's doing. _Sure enough, he examined the readings and offered her a grin of satisfaction. "Vitals and electrolyte levels stable. Just as good as new." He assessed, while using the device on the metal clamp. It released and he carefully extracted the needle from her arm, taking measure to seal the vein upon completion.

He offered her a hand to help her rise to her feet, which she gratefully accepted only to briefly stumble. He wrapped his arm around her waist in support and smiled down at her. "Steady." He advised as he glanced around. "Now, however should we occupy our time?" He murmured as he started to pull her closer. "Just the two of us here. All alone…" There was clear suggestion in his tone.

_He's joking right? He has to be joking. _Laura knew he was an insatiable flirt but would he really want to….? No, he was just teasing. This was a game of his. Well, she could play along.

"Well, there is one thing I always wanted to know."

"Oh, only one?" He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I could tell you so much more."

Laura's heart was beating rapidly and she felt herself blush. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she bit her lip and looked at him. "Do you sing?" She knew the actor, John Barrowman was a Broadway actor and she had seen him perform in Les Miserables. She couldn't help but be curious.

He started to chuckle. "All the time. Anything in particular you want to hear?" Jack was rather enjoying this foreplay and was grateful for the moment that the sickbay was semiprivate with a vast plentitude of beds. He could tell Laura was attracted to him and the fact she and Honor were so unique, how could he resist? Since Honor was asleep and Martha had rebuffed his advances so far, that left Laura and he already found girl's company intriguing.

"I…." Her voice trailed. He was looking at her so intensely. How could he possibly be interested in her in the state she was in? To top it off, they were still in sickbay and that was not one of Laura's favorite places.

"You think I-we could get out of here?" Laura asked. "Been in here too many times. I don't really want to stay if I don't have to. Would like to go to my room and relax so…"

"Of course." Her room might be more comfortable then the sickbay, Jack reasoned. "Mind if I tag along? I would love to see what the TARDIS chose for you."

"Oh….well, sure." She replied as they made their way out of the infirmary with him insistently holding her hand. _Maybe it's just to prevent me from tripping over my own feet again. _"I always liked the Victorian era," She started to explain as they started to walk through the console room and to the corridor that housed the bedrooms. "So the TARDIS, I suppose, created my room with that in mind."

"I'm a bit of a fan of that century myself. When I tried to jump backward in time from the future, I ended up in-"

"1869." Laura finished. "Right here in Cardiff."

"How interesting." Jack replied. "Knowing my past and my future. I would love to have someone like you on staff."

Laura gave a laugh despite herself. "The Doctor wouldn't have it. Already tried."

"What if…." Jack paused. "I steal you and Honor away?" Well, surely one night wouldn't hurt at any rate and he grinned as her eyes widened at the suggestion.

Laura didn't know how to respond and Jack kept his smile as the two of them started to head down the hallway only to be startled by a noise behind him. The doors to the TARDIS suddenly banged open and immediately, he was on alert. His instincts as a time agent and a Torchwood operative came into play.

"Stay here." He advised Laura and headed to the exit to investigate. He had to be certain the TARDIS or Torchwood for that matter wasn't under any imminent threat. It was business after all before pleasure. He took measured steps outside and suddenly chaos broke loose. The doors swung shut and the time machine started to dematerialize directly in front of him. Instantly, Jack clung onto the front as the TARDIS tried to shake him loose but he held fast as the ship spiraled madly through the vortex.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

After the Doctor had finished speaking with Honor, he immediately went to check on Laura wanting to exert due caution since she was recovering from severe malnutrition and subsequent blood loss from breaking free out of her IV. He knew that it was likely she might have woken up at this point and might be on edge from having been confined to the bed for all that time but after she had lost consciousness, he would take no chances. He would ensure her full recovery, perhaps observe the girl eating a few meals on her own. He knew that despite what Laura might otherwise think, there would be no quick fix.

Her negative eating habits had also affected Honor and he had been forced to keep both girls under a careful eye. Despite their truce, he pondered how to best rectify this particular situation. Laura said her diet prior to her hunger strikes was only one meal a day, which was still far less then what was acceptable. _Did no one in her family notice? _He wondered briefly as he opened the door to the medbay.

Panic struck him when he saw the empty bed with the detached IV and immediately he was about to put the TARDIS into a state of emergency. His charge had been asleep. Did she unconsciously remove the IV and leave the medbay? Was she bleeding out in one of the corridors? Where was-

The door opened and Martha entered behind him with a cup of coffee and a sandwich that she had made for Laura. Instantly he turned on her.

"Where were you? Told you to stay by her side. Laura in her state can't be left alone." He was starting to fume.

"Oi!" Martha exclaimed. "I was starving and was about to collapse. Only human remember? Besides, I didn't leave her alone. Jack said he would stay with her. I was gone maybe twenty minutes at-"

"Jack." The Doctor interrupted with renewed anxiety in his expression. "Jack is a consummate lady's man and you left him alone with her?"

"She was still asleep." Martha said defensively.

"Not anymore." Immediately the Doctor raced out of the sickbay and started to enter the console room when he heard the doors of the TARDIS slam shut, a jolting right beneath him telling him that the time machine was in motion and a shriek.

He sprinted inside, finding Laura clinging onto the railing and he took hold of her arms. "Laura, what happened? Are you all right? What did he do?"

Laura shook her head. "No, not me! It's Jack. The doors opened and he ran outside to check!" She looked at the Doctor. "He's trapped out there!" She felt desperation surge through her knowing perfectly well what this was. It was happening just as she knew it would be. It was-

"Alright." The Doctor said quickly. "It's alright." He raced to the controls, attempting to regain control of his TARDIS as Honor came running directly into the room and up to Laura.

"What happened?" asked Honor.

Laura frowned, looking at her friend. "Utopia." The one word answer was all she needed to say. Honor's blood ran cold. She completely understood.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her dialogue contributing and Christy-Flare for using part of her pen name. Also, if you're interested, since video editing is kind of my thing, I created a song trailer for this story using the song Fire and Ice by Within Temptation set with scenes from Dr. Who, etc. Other videos will follow from Fan Fictional Authoress who is beginning to use editing software. I hope you enjoy this one. I am also designing one for Reality by LovelyAmberLight but this one is for Living Fiction.

watch?v=CvAaTCKFbxE


	10. Monster

"We can't stay inside." Laura protested and Honor nodded in fervent agreement. The Doctor looked at his two charges with a frown. He had to get outside the TARDIS to investigate but he had to ensure Laura and Honor stayed onboard where they would be safe. There were far too many variables and they were still recuperating from their last misadventure with the Great Intelligence. Jack should never had let Laura out of the infirmary and he looked at the former time agent in reproof.

Oh, that man had wasted no time. First it was Martha but luckily his companion seemed to be able to hold her own where Jack was concerned and fend off his more serious advances. Her one mistake was to leave him alone with Laura. Despite the fact that she knew general aspects about Jack's history, she seemed to be unaware of how serious the time agent was when it came to seducing other women. From what his charge told him, Jack had asked to see her room. He shook his head uncertain of how to tell Laura of what his former companion had in mind to do with her once he got to her room. She seemed to think Jack was merely teasing and that he wasn't completely serious in his intent. Being alive for over a century had only made Jack's promiscuous nature that much more worse.

The Doctor took a deep breath. "You both still need to rest." He paused. "Maybe have something to eat. Honor just suggested whipping something up for the two of you." He knew neither Laura or Honor had been doing especially well regarding their appetites, which concerned him greatly. "I'll deadlock the TARDIS and-"

"Please don't leave us here." Honor pleaded. "You said you would listen to us."

The Doctor looked at her with concern. "I did." He paused as he tried to assess them. "What's wrong? What aren't you two telling me?"

"We can't." Honor replied glancing at Laura. "But we're not staying on here for the next five hours when…" Her voice trailed. "It's just not happenin'." She was adamant.

This put him in a difficult position as he ran his hand tiredly through his hair. In the interim, Jack spoke up. "Why don't I stay with them?" He suggested charmingly. Both Honor and Laura looked at him, their faces brightened. Surely they could convince him to eventually let them out.

"I know how to make a terrific filet mignon. It will give me time to get to know Laura and Honor better. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll work up quite the appetite to-"

"No!" The Doctor interrupted. He knew exactly what Jack had in mind even if his charges did not. Laura and Honor looked momentarily taken aback, staring at the Doctor. He tried to calm himself. "Let's try a compromise." He offered, knowing this might be a better solution. "A couple hours onboard. I'll deadlock the TARDIS and then I'll come back to check on you." He paused. "IF," He said that word with emphasis, taking measure to glance at Laura, "I see an improvement, you can accompany me if you promise not to leave my sight." He looked at Laura. "No loopholes this time. I expect you both to keep your word."

They both let out a perpetual sigh as Laura toyed with her hair, glancing at Jack who gave her a coy wink while mouthing a word. "_Later." _She blushed wondering if Honor saw it too but her friend at the moment was looking at the Doctor. "Guess it will do." She looked at Laura. "What do you think?"

Laura looked at her feet. He was clearly expecting them to eat while he was gone and that would be part of the price for their release from the TARDIS. To ensure they were starting to take care of themselves once again and briefly she scowled. Still, he wasn't forcing her back on the IV or locking her in the medbay again. All those things were something he could do but chose not to after Jack released her from the IV.

"Fine." She asserted. It was the only compromise they could hope for at the moment and the Doctor nodded briefly at both of them before leading Jack and Martha outside the TARDIS, deadlocking the doors behind them.

Honor and Laura were left in the quiet of the console room staring at one another.

"This is how it begins." Honor said, her tone muted. She was referring to the Master.

"It couldn't have been avoided." Laura leaned against the coral, her expression pained. "But I know one thing. We're both in it together. No matter what."

"Yeah…together." Honor asserted. She couldn't imagine what she would have done If she had been here alone. _Probably go nuts. _Without Kiley or her family, she might as well check herself into the looney bin herself. She took a deep breath as they started to make their way to the kitchens where Honor immediately bustled about pulling ingredients from the shelf.

"Can I help?" Laura asked.

"Well…" Honor paused, glancing back at her. "Anything in particular you want to eat? You tend to be the fussy one around here."

Laura winced. "Yes, I deserved that." She shrugged. "Ironically, I like British food. Meat pies, chicken, bangers, that sort of thing." She frowned. "I'm not sure how well it will go down."

"What about a chicken breast sandwich. Pretty simple. No seasoning. Sound okay? With a cup of tea?" Honor suggested. She had watched Laura make it and practiced brewing it herself, finding the task relatively simple.

"That might work but let me at least-"

"Sit." Honor ordered. "Doctor told me about your little blood transfusion.."

"That was an accident." Laura claimed.

"Been doing a lot of those." Honor paused. "The Great Intelligence for one…" Her voice trailed.

"I know." Laura's voice was filled with chagrin. "I brought those Sherlock episodes over. Got freaked out over a fictional character. I guess…" She started. "I guess it's better him then Freddy Kreuger, right?" She grimaced, knowing she had a friend who had been fearful of the actor who portrayed Freddy Kreuger. At the time, she didn't understand but now….if only she had a chance to tell the other girl that now she could empathize.

Honor chuckled. "Well, I would have to agree with you there. But Laura, it wasn't just your fault. Been watching the episodes too. Writing with you on him. He used that. It was an accident."

"But I had all these bad dreams about him lately. Never told anyone else. I just dismissed them."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Honor asked.

"Because at the time, they were silly. Stuff about being chased. He catches me and then my head is in agonizing pain. Last night, I dreamt he was trying to absorb our energy, somehow. Our power." Laura took a deep breath. "Just a nightmare, right?" She rubbed her forehead.

"Has to be." Honor reassured. "He's gone. We destroyed him."

"Yes…" Laura was lost in thought. In her dreamscape of an altered reality in which she was trapped and the Great Intelligence with those like him, using her, feeding off her energy like a leech. She couldn't cry out or tell anyone what he was doing. It was a darkened, altered world where one human didn't trust another. _Just a dream. _ She thought. _Only just a dream._

Food was suddenly placed before her and she stared at the chicken as if it were a foreign specimen while Honor took the seat across the table taking a bite of her steak.

"What's wrong?" Honor asked. "No chili powder, cumin, soy, I promise." She attested.

Laura looked at the poultry and then back at Honor disconcerted. She couldn't put a finger on what was wrong but right then she felt overwhelmed with the desire not to eat what was in front of her. So long had she denied herself food, sought that control that had been stripped from her that even though she knew she had settled on a compromise, she felt if she ate now, she would still lose. She grew dependent on regulating her food intake and without even knowing it she relished the feeling of power it gave her. And now…all she could do was look. Tense minutes passed by as she willed the fork in her hand to move to her plate. Dropping the utensil on the table with a clatter, she suddenly stood up from the table, backing away.

"I can't." Laura told Honor.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"Can't eat this." She was shaking her head. "I just…" Her voice trailed.

"I can make something else." Honor offered.

"No, it wouldn't matter." Laura turned away in desperation. "How could he be right? All this time? It can't be. It's not true."

"Right?" Honor repeated. "Right about what?"

"Having an eating disorder." Laura looked back at her friend. "I don't. I can't have one. It was fine. Other people were on crazy eating habits too. I was okay and then…"

"Wait…" Honor stopped her. "Hold on a minute. Don't panic. Don't let him start gettin' inside your head." She grabbed her friend's shoulders. "You went on multiple hunger strikes to try to get our freedom. Said your father did the same in the military when he was a POW. Maybe if you asked your Dad, it wasn't easy for him to start eating again. Took time." Honor paused. "Studied a bit at school. The body sort of going into starvation mode and partially shuts down. Freaks out a bit when you decide to eat again. It won't just happen."

"Then what will I do?" Laura protested. "The Doctor will check! He'll know unless we…" She thought for a moment. "Wait…why didn't I think of it before?"

"Of what?"

"We're alone. We have time to figure out the deadlocks." Laura supplied.

"You want to run away now?" Honor was dumbfounded.

"Not exactly. If we get out, we'll join the Doctor, Martha and Jack. Not running away if we join them." Laura took a deep breath. "If they ask, I'll say I had a bad dream and got to nervous to eat. Didn't want to stay here."

"But that's a-"

"Lie?" Laura asked. "It's not. You know it's not. Just haven't talked to him about them yet." She looked at Honor pleadingly. "You have to help me."

"He'll figure it out right quick you didn't eat." Honor's voice was flat.

"What will he do? Maybe give me a shot?" Laura told her. "I can…I can live with that."

"But I won't." Honor's voice was firm. "You have to tell him the truth. The full truth."

"I will." Laura said.

"When?" Honor knew how slippery Laura was with words.

"When this debacle with the Master is finished. After that, you have my promise I will tell him. Laura put her hand on her heart. "I swear to God."

Honor took a deep breath and nodded. "Guess I can understand waiting til after. But you are promising me this time. Not the Doctor, all right?"

"On the subject of promises," Laura started. "You need to promise me to let me know if you have anymore bouts of insomnia due to nightmares. Can't have either of us falling prey to bad habits, right?" She remembered how horrendously sick and pale Honor looked. It worried Laura deeply and she knew it lay heavily on the Doctor's mind.

"Guess we both have a deal." Honor said. "Shake on it?"

"More then that." Laura told her. "I found this in my room. Maybe the TARDIS wanted us to have them." After all they had lost, it was a touching gesture from the sentience. She held out two crucifixes affixed in delicate pink coral both with their names engraved on it. "I think this one is for you." She took Honor's hand, putting the necklace in the girl's palm. "We each wear one to remember the word we gave each other. This way we don't forget."

Honor looked up at her friend for a long time and finally smiled, wrapping her fingers around the chain. "Thank you." Her voice was filled with emotion.

Laura nodded, "You're welcome. We should go-oh, okay…" The brunette patted her friend on the back when Honor drew her into a tight hug. After a moment, the younger woman released Laura and rubbed her eyes hurriedly.

"Sorry, just…it's nice gettin' a gift from a friend, didn't mean to get all sappy on you. Probably doesn't help that I haven't hugged anyone in a while when I used to do it once or twice a day…like goin' into withdrawals." She laughed awkwardly as she continued to ramble nervously and fluffed the hair on the back of her head self-consciously. "S'posed to help preserve your mental health or somethin', but I just think they're nice. I'm a touchy feely sort of person…Anyway, you sure we should try to find the switches? What if we flip the wrong ones and blow up the universe? And even if we get out, what about the futurekind? I won't be able to outrun them, I don't think…"

"We can't stay here, Honor!" Laura exclaimed expression pleading. "You know that. If we stay in here, the Master will-"

"-So we leave before that! Some guys'll come lookin' for the TARDIS and pick it up for the Doctor, bring it to him. We'll wait until they come 'n' drop us off, then we'll just stick around the Doctor. Won't be anywhere near the fruit loop, I swear."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," the older woman frowned.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a promise, 'cause we'll be around Yana, but we _can_ be out of the room when he turns all fruity, if you know what I mean."

Laura sighed, "Right, well, it still can't hurt to know what switches undo the deadlocks, and I doubt flicking only a couple of switches at a time will blow up the universe, especially if we immediately flick them back again to turn them off."

"Well, I s'pose you're right," Honor mulled it over. "'Sides, we know the general section of the TARDIS console that they're on. It was at the same place that the Master did his 'hello' routine." She huffed out a laugh. "Even if he _is_ off his rocker, that was pretty funny, especially that YouTube video remix of it." She paused with a flush. "Actually, now that I'm really thinking about it…I feel kind of creepy…Like I was stalkin' the whole cast of 'Doctor Who.'"

Laura grimaced. "Thousands, maybe even millions, of people were tuning into their life every single Saturday, writing fan fiction about them, and obsessing over them far more then we did." She remembered the custom posters and artwork she had seen in professor's offices at school. That didn't even scratch the surface of the sweatshirts that were handmade, TARDIS covers for cellphones, mp3 downloads and those imitating the clothing worn by the Doctor or his companions. She remembered in her Age of Information class when a presentation on Fan Fiction was given that the most popular combination of stories written put Dr. Who, Sherlock, Supernatural and Star Trek together at the exact same time. _How do those even fit? _Two of the shows, she knew were American in origin and one dealt with the biblical apocalypse. She gave a brief shrug. At this point, it hardly mattered trapped as they were in some alternate universe that months ago, they had only perceived to be fiction.

Honor rose an eyebrow. "Did you look at my other 'Doctor Who' fan fiction 'Good Enough?' That's creepy, because I actually met the people. Even worse than that, was some of the fan fictions I read. Do you know how many original characters shipped with the Doctor or companions and some of those fics I read over the span of two years? Far, far too many to be comforted by the fact I only actually wrote one and outlined plots to think about for later…especially since the Doctor could potentially just read my mind and see it and just _know_ what I used to dinge read in my free time…super embarrassing. I don't think I could take the judgin', 'cause I_ know_ he'd judge me, oh man." She covered her flushed cheeks. "I hope he never, ever, _ever_ finds out…or asks. Cripes, if he asks I can't even avoid the question, he'll just _know_. Oh man, oh man, I regret readin' those fics right now, I so do."

"Honor, it's….we all read some of those stories." Laura tried. "Do you know how I felt when he confronted me with 'Lost in Reality'?" She had collapsed not just because of potential paradoxes but out of sheer humiliation. "Talk about humiliation. All those bonding scenes. Sara and Lilly…." She paused taking a deep breath. "Just…don't think about it," Laura suggested weakly. "It'll be fine."

"_No_, it'll be just like that book I once read with the mind reader. The main character found out and tried not to think about anythin' embrassin' and just kept thinkin' about the word 'underwear', 'cause when you try not to think about somethin', you think 'bout it anyway." Honor looked at her friend. "Sides, you didn't see him with 'Lost in Reality'. I was there in the library when he finished readin'. He was…" Honor paused in reflection. "There was pain in his eyes. Looked as though he teared up. Mentioned Rose." Honor glanced at Laura. "I think he liked the idea of bonding with Rose that way."

Laura smiled faintly. "Well, if I ever talk to Amber again, I'll let her know." She paused. "But, you never know, he could be flattered, depending…besides, I don't think telepathy works that way."

"You sure?" Honor asked. The Doctor hadn't used telepathy on Honor….yet but he had compelled Laura on three occasions that she knew about. "What was it….the telepathy…was it like Sara's Doctor?" She remembered that description avidly. How exposed Sara felt when the Doctor forced his way into her thoughts but somehow Honor knew in comparison to the Great Intelligence, she likely would have preferred the telepathic touch of that Doctor if forced to decide. The agonizing pain was like nothing she had ever felt and she shuddered briefly in the memory.

Laura looked at her friend in sympathy. The Great Intelligence used his telepathy only for a matter of seconds to command her to sleep. While utterly painful, Honor had dealt with a longer, more prolonged attack by that monster. What other comparison did she have at present?

"Oh, no…Honor, it's nothing like the Great Intelligence or I think Sara's Doctor." Laura said reassuringly. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I don't like having it forced on me but it never hurt once when the Doctor compelled me." She paused in thought. "It felt…like the sea. Calm, tranquil and relaxing. Like I was floating." Laura shrugged. "That's about it really. I couldn't resist. Way too powerful." Laura frowned. "But then he made me not want to resist when he…" Her voice trailed. She remembered knowing that she should of fought him. That it was wrong but her defenses had been gently sapped away.

"Doesn't hurt…reassurin' at least there I s'ppose." Honor said but she still didn't like the idea of anyone entering her mind without her consent and her friend put her hand on Honor's arm.

"Well, I don't think anything will pop up," the Californian told her firmly. "Besides, he promised he wouldn't unless he has our consent or if our situation becomes life threatening."

"I hope you're right, because I don't want to explain that unpopular ship I like involving Eleven and Cleopatra…" She paused, a mortified look crossing her face. "Oh man, forget I said that! You heard nothing!" Honor strode hurriedly out of the room, embarrassed. "Let's go find those switches and forget I said anythin' 'bout that old hobby of mine. It never happened. Period."

Laura tried not to laugh, because she _did_ feel bad for the embarrassed younger girl, but Honor's overreaction to a hypothetical situation _was_ kind of funny. She quickly followed her friend out to the console room and found the red head on the lower level, edging around the room to get the right angle that she remembered from the show. She had indeed spent time analyzing the position of where the Master was for her story, 'Lost in Time'. "Hey, Laura? Did the Master flip the deadlock when he was old or young?"

"Well, technically he was always old…"

"Ha-ha," she laughed sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "No, seriously, Yana or Saxon?"

"Um, he'd do it as soon as he could, so I'd say Yana."

"Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright," Honor muttered as she edged around the room further, eying the jump seat and the railing with the foam on it. "I think it was either the first or second section next to the monitor in front of the railing…You know, I always thought this railing was super unstable, I know it's not, but it just the feel and appearance of it…. anyway, the switches should be here, I think…Maybe, possibly, hopefully…"

Laura eyed a set of black switched that were spaced out evenly along the first console section that Honor had indicated. She pursed her lips. "No wonder the Doctor has trouble driving, all the switches look the same! Just say 'enable A', 'enable B', 'disable A', and 'disable B.' Anyway, there are four sets of switches here, one of them…" She frowned. "…is completely ruined, the switches were snapped off, completely useless until he gets another set."

"So that only leaves, what, three of them? Well, try the…" Honor's voice trailed and she stared unseeingly into the air in front of her muttering to herself. "The one to the right of it was undamaged… So it can only be sets one, two, or three…" Louder she asked, "Um, which one's broken?"

"Set two and I know which one to flip if it's this set!" Quickly flipping the third set, the girls were gratified to hear two locks click. When they went to the door, however, it was still locked.

"Did he leave it unlocked?" Honor asked mystified.

"No, I'm definitely sure that I heard it lock behind him." Laura scowled at the door in front of her, thumping it once in displeasure before glaring down at the lock. "Of course it wouldn't be that…" Her voice trailed as she noticed the second lock mechanism attached to the first in such a way as to be unnoticeable if one wasn't looking closely. "…easy."

"What is it?" Honor asked peering over the slighter girl's shoulder.

"There's two locks, not just one but two," Laura reported dumbfounded.

The Minnesotan groaned, "He must've added it after reading 'Lost in Reality' or something. Didn't want us pullin' the same thing on 'im."

"That's explains why we heard the two clicks," the older girl realized. "Before, after the 'Lazarus Experiment,' when he caught us in the underground, there was only one actual click, not two."

"Before we came to an understandin', he must've added 'em to make sure we wouldn't run away, and then later decided that it was probably safer to keep it like that anyway."

"Some use that was, only half of it is unlocked and since it's deadlocked, we can't just unlock it manually…"

"That was clever," Honor muttered out loud. "Really clever. Reminds me of this post I found on Tumblr, 'bout how it was smart to get six locks and only lock three of them. 'Cause that way, if anyone else tried to unlock them, they'd assume that they were all locked and…" She trailed off once she caught sight of the growing look of comprehension on the other girl's face.

"…And then continually locked three while unlocking the other three, no matter how they did it," Laura breathed in realization.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Did you also read that post?" Honor asked curiously. "I didn't know that you were on Tumblr too."

"I wasn't." The brunette turned to face the other girl. "But you know all the research I did for those stories and I just realized what the Doctor did. He rerouted the locking mechanism, the switches are reversed or something. When you flick them both, one is locking while the other unlocks."

"Oh, I hate that! Back at my grandparent's house there were two switches for the master bathroom lights. Inside the bathroom there were two buttons, one for the light and one for the fans, and in the bedroom there were three, one for the lights in the bathroom and two of the lights in the bedroom. Problem was, no matter which one you flicked, one of bathroom lights switches would always be in the 'up' position while the others would be 'down' when turned off. Always bugged me…Anyway, you think it's the same way here? That one of the switches is that way?"

"Can't hurt to try while we wait, now can it?" Laura asserted as she jogged back over to the console. "I'll try the first one, 'A', I'll switch it to 'enable'." There was a click, but as Honor tried to open the door, it was still locked. "Okay… I'll put 'A' back to 'disable' and 'B' to 'enable'…" Two clicks later, and Honor managed to successfully open the door.

"Oh, yes!" The red head whooped. "You're a genius! It totally worked!"

Laura sighed in relief, "For once, something is going our way." At least if anything went wrong…she briefly thought of the Time Lord Victorious and shuddered. For now, they had a card in their favor.

"Hey," Honor said suddenly. "Here comes our ride." Laura joined her at the door, and the two friends watched the truck draw closer to them. After a moment, they closed the door and flicked the switches back to their original positions at 'enable.' No use in getting the Doctor even more upset when he was about to face another and far larger crisis anyway.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Professor, tell the Doctor we've found his blue box," came the call over the radio.

"Ah!" Doctor called out in relief, setting down the gluten strings. "Well, that ends that worry."

"Doctor?" Jack said as he observed the fuzzy screen before him, setting down his clipboard. The Doctor let go of the large power cable he was holding, letting it dangle as he excitedly went over to join Jack. His good mood from finding such a wonderful human being increased exponentially at having his TARDIS and charges brought to the silo, safe and sound. As Yana joined him, the Doctor looked at him with a beaming smile.

"Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark, but I may have just found you a way out," the Doctor announced to Yana, patting him on the shoulder before walking away and muttering, "And have ended my worries about those two…" The elderly human didn't notice, gaze transfixed on the screen displaying a blue box and the sound of drums beating in his mind.

The Doctor went down to the cargo hold to meet the men there. He stopped them from carrying the box briefly and undeadlocked the door. He immediately opened it, completely relieved to find both girls unharmed and rather impatiently waiting in the console room.

"Well, at least they didn't get eaten by the zombies," Honor joked as she immediately exited the TARDIS without so much as a 'by your leave' with Laura close behind.

"Wait, just a moment, you _can't_ just…" the Doctor sputtered, not having expected the immediate mass exodus from the time ship. He discreetly scanned her with the sonic, its tell-tale warble hidden by ambient noises.

"Sorry," Laura apologized. "It's just that I couldn't stay there any longer. I needed to get out, I-"

"-haven't eaten anything," the Doctor concluded as he brought up the sonic for examination. "Your electrolyte levels are low once again. I thought we-"

"I tried!" Laura cried. "I really did, but I just couldn't…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry. I wasn't able to even take a bite. I don't know why…."

Her downtrodden expression was enough to make the Doctor soften a bit. He weighed the pros and cons of letting the two girls follow him around instead of remaining in the TARDIS, but eventually decided that there was little trouble they could get into as long as they stayed in the laboratory under his watchful eye. Besides, it made little sense in the long run to enforce the reminder of their limited freedom. Not to mention that it would be more trouble than it was worth to badger them at the moment. "Well, I will need you to try again later, if I let you stay. I can give you something to increase your appetite, and we'll start out small, take it from there, eh? For now, just stay close. It's easy to get lost in here."

The look of unadulterated relief on both of their faces nagged at the Doctor. What could be so bad about remaining on the TARDIS? Does something go wrong with the plan he had in mind? He hoped that there wouldn't be sparking that would cause a fire. Then again, maybe the futurekind had something to do about it. Honor had mentioned 'zombies.' Maybe if he hadn't demanded that the TARDIS (and, consequently, his charges) be retrieved, something would have happened with the time ship? But that didn't sound right either.

The Time Lord mulled it over the whole way back to the laboratory and as he connected the power cable with extra care. There didn't appear to be a problem over than his extra caution other then causing a delay in setting up equipment. "Jack, you're in charge of the retro feeds," he called out faintly, distracted.

Martha entered the room with Chantho close behind. "Oh," she sighed with relief. "Am I glad to see that thing! Means Honor and Laura are back too. Alright?"

"Yeah," Honor piped up on the other end of the room. "Could be asking you the same thing."

"We're doing okay. Bit of running, but when aren't we?"

"Chan, these are friends of yours, tho?" The Malmooth asked curiously. "Chan, I did not realize that more people had been found, tho." Then she noticed Yana sitting down in a chair, looking worse for wear. "Chan, Professor, tho! Chan, are you alright, tho?"

Honor and Laura exchanged glances, knowing exactly what was bothering the elderly man and precisely the contributing factor behind his headaches.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everything had been going perfectly, exactly to plan. So it came as an unexpected and unwanted shock when everything started to go horribly, horribly wrong.

The room shuddered and a sound, a mixture of a fire and classic nuclear meltdown alarm, began to reverberate throughout the laboratory. "Oh no," Honor moaned. "It's startin', it's goin' to overload with radiation!" She jumped slightly when Jack rested a hand on her shoulder, but he wasn't paying attention, just listening to the alarm carefully. So was everyone else in the room, leaving Honor and Laura mystified that they would do actually do the exact same thing in real life as they would in the show.

"Don't just stand there!" Laura cried. "We need to do something!" _Thought the Doctor said the show wasn't terribly accurate in parts. _But at that point, that segment must have been done to accuracy.

That seemed to snap them out of a trance, Jack and the Doctor started to move to different parts of the laboratory, shouting out directions:

"Radiation's rising!" 

"The chamber's going to flood." 

"Jack, override the vents!"

"We've lost control! It's not going to work." Jack grabbed one power cable and yanked it out before doing the same to another one. "We can jump start the override!"

"No, Jack, don't! It's going to flare!" The Doctor warned, but it was too late. Jack brought the two live ends of the cables together and electrocuted himself. Honor and Laura shrieked at the suddenness. Even though they knew it would happen, the show never presented it how it was in actuality: the burns, the scent of burnt flesh, Jack seizing, the brightness of the flare. It was terrible to watch, even though they knew his death wasn't permanent.

"I've got him!" Martha hurried over to his side, ready to try to resuscitate him.

Chantho scrambled behind her to knock the live cables away, warning her, "Chan, don't touch the cables, tho."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Yana said mournfully, coming to kneel next to Chantho while the Doctor came to a stop next to his charges by the TARDIS.

Not even wasting a minute, he asked, "The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?"

Yana answered despondently, "Without the couplings, the engines will never start. It was all for nothing."

"Oh, I don't know." He stepped forward and went to his companion's side. "Martha, leave him." 

"You've got to let me try!" she protested as the Doctor took hold of her and dragged her away from the fallen captain. Martha began to struggle. 

"Come on, come on, just listen to me," the Time Lord coaxed. Getting her attention and looking her straight in the eyes, he told her, "Now leave him alone." Satisfied that she wouldn't misguidedly try to give Jack the 'kiss of life', he then continued to observe the man playing possum. "It strikes me, Professor, you've got a room which no man can enter without dying. Is that correct?" 

The old man gave a bitter laugh, "Yes, unfortunately."

"Well," the Doctor drew out as Jack gasped and panted loudly, obviously not dead but a little worse for wear from the stunt he had pulled. Martha eyed Jack wide eyed as the Doctor casually took off his glasses. "I think I've got just the man for the job."

"Was someone kissing me?" Jack asked with a cocky smile while Martha let out a surprised laugh.

Honor let out a tense breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Shakily, she joked, "He's a modern-day sleeping beauty, how shocking." Laura hit her once in the arm and Honor raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, bad joke, sorry. But Walt Disney _would_ be proud, just saying."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Laura and Honor begged to go with the Doctor while Jack fixed the power couplings in the radiation soaked room, which he had been none to graciously volunteered for. Jack didn't seem to mind but the Doctor was concerned about the girl's reactions since they never quite so avidly sought his company.

"Might be safer if you stay with Martha and-"

"No." Honor was adamant.

"Why?" The Doctor looked at her. "What's wrong?" Honor only grimaced and the Doctor turned to the other girl. "Laura?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I…" Laura paused. "I had these nightmares." She swallowed. "Please…don't leave us alone here to…" Her words trailed, her skin was pale.

The Doctor sighed, shaking his head. "Alright." She put his hand into the pocket of his coat removing an object. "First things first." He beckoned Laura towards him and she approached him with hesitation.

"What?" She started. "I've told you the truth and I…" She gave a slight flinch when he took her arm and rolled up her sleeve.

"I can't have you passing out again." The Doctor told her as he removed the cap on a syringe. "Especially not down there. In the short term, this will help."

Laura nodded and only winced briefly as the needle pierced her skin. "Will it…? My appetite?"

"A little. I'll start a proactive treatment once we're finished here and back onboard the TARDIS." He stated. Honor looked away at those words and he examined his charge carefully. Why weren't they being open with him? Hadn't they reached a compromise? Didn't he promise he would listen to them?

He sighed, knowing he was still working on the Family of Blood. The process of reversing what he did was not an easy task and even if it was considered the more merciful option then what he had attempted to do, he detested the concept of destroying them outright. At the moment, he managed to get them back onto the TARDIS and put them in a time lock until he could work out a solution. However, he doubted that telling his two charges they were frozen in a moment of time would be an improvement. No. He would find a remedy and when it was completed, then he would let Laura and Honor know what became of the Family of Blood.

The Doctor and Jack led the way down the corridor to the room in question with the girls trailing behind, whispering quietly to themselves. Despite his ability to hear their nearly inaudible words, they seemed to have adopted a form of code around him. Their use of pronouns was non-specific and he grit his teeth in frustration. He assured himself, he would have a proper talk with both of them when they returned to the time machine.

In the meantime, Jack got to work in the room as the Doctor acted as a guide while they conversed. It became especially painful when Jack started to bring up Rose. The Doctor closed his eyes remembering the girl he loved and lost. She had been stripped from him just as she decided to definitively choose to spend the rest of her life with him. There were so many possibilities. All the places he was still planning to take her. He was never able to finish saying how he truly felt about her. _She knows. She has to know. _He pressed his lips together.

"Everything she did was so human." The Doctor told Jack, thinking of Satellite Five. "She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever." He smiled softly. "That's something, I suppose." That was just another reason he loved her so deeply. "The final act of the Time War was life."

Laura was moved by a sudden surge of pity. She remembered the scenes that were written in 'Lost in Reality' but had been uncomfortable with the bonding that took place between the Doctor and Rose considering the circumstances. To be thrown into that situation…she shivered, wondering what she would do if that happened to her. Fortunately, if there was one positive thing in this universe, bondings such as in 'Lost in Reality' didn't happen here. Certainly Time Lords married. She had seen the episode with the marriage of the Doctor and River Song but there must be no telepathic bond. At least, not to the extent that Amber devised.

No puerile bonds either although she certainly didn't think Time Lords made a practice of penetrating the core of someone's mind. She remembered how Sara became catatonic and was trapped in her own perpetual hell after the Valeyard created the paradox. _I won't let that happen._

Still, she remembered the pain the Doctor suffered from what she and Amber had written. How devastated he was when he lost someone to whom he was bonded to. Perhaps after so many centuries of being alone, to find a girl, even a human with a fleeting life span, only to have her snatched away after two brief years….the agony must have been excruciating.

_And he'll do it again…he'll let her go again. _Laura thought.

"Do you think she could change me back?" Jack asked.

"I took the power out of her." The Doctor shook his head, looking more weary and grief stricken then ever. "She's gone, Jack. She's not just living in a parallel world, She's trapped there. The walls have closed."

There was a silence before Jack spoke. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor frowned. "Yeah." He took a deep breath, attempting to reign back in his emotions. He had a job to complete. It wouldn't do to dwell on Rose at the moment. Who knows? She just might have started to move on. Might have found someone else. A human she could start to love. He would want that for her. For Rose to be happy.

"I'm sorry too." Laura said suddenly and the Doctor glanced over at her.

"I thought you understood…" He started. "Your stories…"

She gave a brief shrug. "I…a lot of it…the bonding was Amber. I didn't understand with all the centuries you lived, you could really fall in love like that and…" Laura's cheeks became crimson and she glanced at Honor. "I'm sorry. I don't really write romances…it's….well…I lost someone too, years ago and then after the attack, I sort of turned that part of me off." Laura bit her lip. "Maybe that's why I had trouble relating…" Her words trailed. She was just sticking her foot in her mouth.

The Doctor glanced at her introspectively. "Maybe you understand better then you give yourself credit for." He glanced over at Honor who had taken the liberty of unceremoniously collapsing to a sitting position on the floor.

"Doing alright over there?"

"Me?" Honor asked. "Just fine. Tired is all but what else is new?"

"You said you both were having bad dreams?"

"Don't want to talk about it now." Honor declared.

"Fine." The Doctor looked at Jack. "But, I expect answers when we're back on the TARDIS."

"Okay." Honor agreed easily. "You'll get all the answers you want on the TARDIS."

"Could I get that in writing?" The Doctor muttered sarcastically.

"This new regeneration," Jack started. "He's kind of cheeky."

"You have no idea." Laura replied and Jack flashed his most charming smile at her. "Rude but not-"

"Ginger." Honor finished. "He always wanted to be ginger, didn't he?"

"I definitely need to get to know your charges better when I'm done here, don't I?" Jack was looking at both Laura and Honor.

"Oh don't you start." The Doctor said warningly. It was hard enough that the Captain felt wrong to him and the TARDIS leapt through billions of years to get away from him. Of course, he didn't mean to be prejudiced. It wasn't Jack's fault what happened but the smell of the Captain was entirely wrong. He was never meant to live forever like this. Even with the girls being what they were, their lifespans weren't as limited….he looked at his charges, closing his eyes. He hadn't told them yet about those circumstances. He needed to at some point. How the rapidly accelerated artron in their cells since triggered in the void and now in his universe, it wasn't just their abilities that were affected.

_Later. _He thought. Jack had made the final connection of the cables preparing the silo for launch.

"Yes!" The Captain exclaimed.

"Now get out of there!" The Doctor urged. "C'mon!"

Jack wasted no further time and the Doctor hastily urged them to the control room where he ran about flicking switches, checking with the Lieutenant to see if they were ready to launch.

Suddenly Martha came hurrying in and the girls exchanged a nervous glance of foreboding.

The Doctor looked at her with a grin, appearing excited as he pointed to the monitor. "Ah, nearly there. The footprint, it's a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive. It'll take the both of us to keep it stable."

"Doctor, it's the Professor. He's got this watch. He's got a fob watch. It's the same as yours. Same writing on it, same everything." Martha looked at the Doctor, her eyes wide.

"Don't be ridiculous." The Doctor scoffed.

"No. I asked him. He said he's had it his whole life." Martha protested.

Immediately Honor reached out for Laura's hand, which she took. They both knew far too well what this meant.

"So he's got the same watch." Jack tossed off casually.

"Yeah, but it's not a watch." Martha attempted to explain. "It's this chameleon thing."

"No, no, no, it's this, this thing, this device, it rewrites biology. Changes a Time Lord into a human." The Doctor was starting to get nervous. Could this mean…?

"And it's the same watch."

"It can't be." He was struggling to come to terms with this information and glanced at his charges that seemed to be offering each other consolation. His eyes narrowed. They had known something was wrong with the professor all along, which would explain why they didn't want to stay. They were in fear of him.

In the distance an alarm started to sound near the controls.

"That means he could be a Time Lord. You might not be the last one." Jack immediately reasoned, looked at the Doctor distractedly.

"Jack, keep it level!" The Doctor was referring to the gravity pulse they were working on. One wrong move…

"But that's brilliant, isn't it?" Martha asked, looking optimistic. The Doctor was so lonely because he was the last of his kind. Maybe now if one was still alive, he wouldn't feel so alone.

The Doctor inhaled through his nose. "Yes, it is." He mused wryly. "Course it is. Depends which one. Brilliant, fantastic, yeah. But they died, the Time Lords. All of them. They died."

Laura shuddered briefly reminded of the internal monologue that was made during the rise of the Time Lord Victorious. The Doctor reflected on the very same words to rationalize his assuming that title.

"Not if he was human." Jack assessed and the Doctor turned on Martha, looking at his companion intensely.

"What did he say, Martha? What did he say?" He advanced on her and the girl looked taken aback by the abruptness in his words. She drew herself together once more.

"He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it." Martha tried. "Like that perception filter thing."

"What about now?" The Doctor asked in desperation. What had he done? "Can he see it now?"

Martha looked stunned. "He…I'm sorry." She shook her head while the Doctor suddenly turned to his charges.

"You two," He started. "Tell me what you know, now."

Laura glanced at Honor and then back at the Doctor. "I tried to tell in sickbay and before…didn't want to be around for-"

"Utopia." The Doctor stared at them with growing realization. The missile was starting to launch towards that very promised location. Words echoed in his mind. Yana. YANA. You Are Not Alone. The Face of Boe tried to tell him before.

"Doctor." Lieutenant Atillo's voice echoed over the speaker. "We'll see you in Utopia."

"Good luck." The Doctor answered without taking his eyes off his charges and at once went forward taking hold of both their hands as he proceeded to maneuver them and the rest of his party out of the control room. The door slammed shut in his face.

He dropped his grip on them and glanced at Jack. "Help me get it open!" Both were working on the door as he glanced at the girls.

"You know who he is, don't you." It wasn't even a question. Thoughts ran quickly through his mind. "He escaped the Time War and…" His voice trailed as he remembered Laura's protest to him when he started to leave the library.

'_Then let us go. At least for a few weeks. That can't be too much to ask. The Master…' _He had let the matter drop thinking Laura was simply using his friend's death as a goad to him but now. Oh now, it was different. The Master had never been right to begin with and if he was here…

"Got it!" Jack exclaimed. The door opened. "This way!" Everyone started to run towards the laboratory.

Future-kind was in the building and the girls knew they were heading to their location.

"Professor!" The Doctor exclaimed at the door of the laboratory. "Professor, let me in!" He rammed his hands against the door urgently. "Let me in!" He turned to Jack. "Get the door open now!" Jack was still using his sonic on the door as the Doctor continued to try to reason with the occupant inside.

"They're coming!" Martha warned as they heard the encroaching footsteps of future kind.

"Open the door, please! I'm begging you, professor! Listen to me." He was breathing hard. "Just open the door, please."

"Enough." Jack said, smashing the control panel. The door opened as the girls witnessed the professor or the Master stepping into the TARDIS, carrying the jar with the Doctor's hand with him. For a moment, his eyes locked on theirs and he inhaled, than fully climbed onto the time machine, at once shutting the door on the Doctor.

The Doctor rushed up to use his key but both Honor and Laura knew it wouldn't work. The Master had access to the controls inside and knew how to use them. His voice echoed outside the TARDIS.

"Deadlocked." He said.

"Let me in!" The Doctor protested. "Let me in!"

"She's dead." Martha was referring to the professor's assistant and Honor averted her eyes not wanting to see another death directly in front of her. Beth was difficult enough. Both Laura and Honor didn't risk interceding to save the assistant's life. They didn't want to risk anything upsetting the paradox. The Master had to take the TARDIS as he was meant to. At least they weren't trapped inside it.

In the meantime, Jack was attempting to hold the door closed to the lab from future-kind and he took a deep breath. "I broke the lock. Give me a hand!"

The girls immediately assisted the captain, pressing their weight against the door as the Doctor continued to plead with the Master.

"I'm begging you! Everything's changed. It's only the two of us! We're the only ones left!" He wasn't bringing up Laura and Honor. "Just let me in."

They could barely hold the door closed to future kind and they it wouldn't last but suddenly they were struck by the glow emanating from inside the TARDIS.

"Regenerating." Honor gasped. "The Master is…"

"Doctor!" Jack shouted. "You better think of something!" The door was starting to give way.

"Now then, Doctor."

Laura inhaled at the sound of the Master's voice as it echoed around the room as she continued to struggle to assist Jack.

"Ooo, new voice." The Master seemed to relish the novelty. "Hello." He tried in one voice and then switched to a higher pitch. "Hello." The smirk in his tone was clear. "Hello." His voice deepened. "Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat and I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me, I don't think." His sarcasm was clear.

"Hold on." Martha exclaimed as she pressed against the door with Laura and Honor. "I know that voice."

"You would." Honor said leadingly.

"I'm asking you really properly." The Doctor tried. "Just stop. Just think."

"Use my name." It was a command.

"Master." The Doctor paused. "I'm sorry."

"Tough." The Master returned. "Want to make amends? Your two lovely companions." Honor and Laura froze knowing the Master was referring to them. "What are they? You know I could smell them."

"No one." The Doctor tried. "Minor anomalies. Nothing of interest to you."

"I don't think so." They heard the sound of the TARDIS engine starting the background. "Until next time Doctor."

"I can't hold out much longer, Doctor!" Jack shouted as the time rotor started to activate. Immediately, the Doctor removed his sonic, aiming it at the TARDIS in his attempt to stop the Master.

"Oh no, you don't!" The Master said gleefully. "End of the universe. Have fun. Bye, bye!"

"Doctor, stop him!" Martha protested. "Help us. They're getting in!"

The Doctor could only stare in momentary shock as his beloved TARDIS dematerialized leaving them all behind billions of years in the future.

Seconds later he moved, heading directly to Jack, grabbing hold of his arm as he aimed his sonic at the vortex manipulator.

"What are you doing?" Jack looked astounded. "I told you, that thing has been broken for years. The circuits were fried and-"

"That's because you didn't have me." The Doctor was working feverishly. He had to amplify the muon output to transport beyond the usual capacity for the vortex manipulator, forcing it to carry five instead of three. The trip, needless to say would be unpleasant but as a Time Lord, it was well within in capability.

"Done!" He exclaimed. "Honor, Martha, Laura, give me your hands."

Immediately, they placed theirs on top of his and just as the door came open the five of them found themselves painfully jolted and compressed as they were launched backwards in time through the vortex. They couldn't breathe or even see and seconds later when they found themselves in an alley, they collapsed. Honor and Laura rubbed their heads as Martha leaned against the building breathing hard.

"We made it." Martha said weakly.

"Time travel without a capsule." The Doctor leaned over. "That's a killer." He cracked his neck as he righted himself, looking at his charges. He was uneasy about taking care of either one of them without his ship available and at the moment he didn't have his med kit. He had used the last vial that he had on his person to give to Laura thinking he would be able to resupply once back onboard. Then there was Honor with her asthma. True. His treatment was further advanced then the barbaric practice of using steroids to treat inflammation but that also required a schedule of injections in order to successfully end her condition. He had meant to discuss it with his charge but when Jack Harkness had gotten onboard and the girl's recent compromise, he thought it best to wait.

Now he needed to be on alert. He knew the Master was nearby. He could sense it. They eventually started to walk down the street and Jack argued the merits of his vortex manipulator while the Doctor said it was only because of him that made it possible.

"Then, how are we going to find him?" Martha asked, referring to the Master.

"I'll know him. The moment I see him. Time Lords always do." The Doctor claimed.

"But hold on, if he could be anyone…" Martha paused. "We missed the election." She took a deep breath. "But it can't be."

They stood to watch the large television in the center of the square as it announced that Mr. Saxon was returning from the palace and was back at headquarters.

"Lucy." Laura looked at the woman accompanying the Master with a degree of pity.

"You both knew the Master was here since you arrived." The Doctor looked at them.

"We couldn't tell you." Honor said, immediately defensive. "If we told you and you didn't go all those billions of years into the future-"

"It would be a paradox." The Doctor concluded. "The Master." He repeated. "And his wife…" His voice trailed in surprise looking at Lucy. "That's him. He's prime minister. The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain." He looked completely dumbfounded.

"This country has been sick." The Master was speaking to the reporters. "This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I would go so far as to say what this country really needs right now is a doctor." He smiled and to those that knew him, it came across directly as a leer.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We can't go to Martha's house." Honor felt it safe to release that amount of information. "They have it rigged with explosives. Know she'll be there."

"What?!" Martha exclaimed. "What about my family?" She turned on the girls. "I need to call them and…"

Laura shook her head. "If you do, they'll try to warn you. You're parents, sister and brother will be hunted down for sure and locked up." She looked at the companion sympathetically. "Don't tip them off. I know you want to. I would too but it will make things worse for them. I swear."

"Okay." Martha breathed. "Alright." She tried to think clearly, her stomach in knots. "Doctor, what do we do?"

"Fish and chips." The Doctor answered. They all looked at him surprised. "We all need to eat." There was a supply store next to the restaurant they were close to. If his charges were right, then the Master anticipated their arrival back in the time period. But why wasn't he able to sense him before his rise to power as Prime Minister. Laura and Honor knew but he was left in the dark.

"They're goin' to be looking for us." Honor said. "All of us."

"I have something in mind for that." The Doctor said as they ventured inside and sat down at the table. When the server appeared, they started to order even though no ones mind was on food. Laura in particular was the most reluctant and she looked at the Doctor pleadingly. "No." She tried. "Don't make me eat this." She tried fish and chips in London with a normal appetite, finding the meal greasy and distasteful. "It won't-"

"A small combination plate for her." The Doctor interrupted and sighed. "I'm sorry, Laura. You have to try."

She looked at him resentfully before lapsing into silence as she clutched the crucifix around her neck. When the meal arrived, the Doctor ate hurriedly before looking at Martha and Jack. "I need to fetch a few supplies just next door. With the keys to the TARDIS, I can make filters that can help us stop the Master but I need you to watch things here until I get back. Shouldn't take long."

"Yeah, alright." Despite what the Doctor and the girls said, Martha was itching to call her family. At least just her brother. If she could warn one of them of the impending danger….it was better then nothing. Jack volunteered to go outside to sweep the proximity for added security.

Left inside the restaurant with just Martha, Laura and Honor thought of their stories still accessible on the TARDIS database. Did the Master access them? Know what they were? Was that why he made that crack to them about knowing what was about to occur with Dr. Lazarus? The episodes were gone but the stories…still, even if he read them, Laura closed her eyes. Maybe he would just think like the Doctor did. It was an alternate timeline. Perhaps he never even saw them and only approached them because of the time energy they carried.

"Laura, you need to try to eat." Martha informed her and Laura sighed as she forced herself to pick up a fork. This was going to be a painful experience. She was certain of it.

Suddenly, the smell of gas permeated the restaurant and they looked at each other.

"Wait, you smell that?" Martha started. "It's-"

Canisters were thrown inside and all at once they were blinded by the thick smoke that was everywhere. No one knew which way to run. The exits weren't visible. All they could hear was each other screaming and at once Laura cried out as arms wrapped around her. She struggled as another set of hands clamped down on her elbows and then her feet. She was being carried out of the restaurant, her eyes burning as she tried to blink to clear her vision.

"Targets acquired." A woman's voice stated. "Martha Jones escaped."

"Get off me!" Honor shouted. "Let go! Take your hands off-" Her voice was muffled and Laura could dimly see her friend as she was being hauled to the back of a transport van. She felt cuffs slide on her own wrists as a gag was put in place. _The Doctor can't hear us scream. _Laura thought dimly as she found herself in darkened interior, chained inside with a guard for good measure. Was this it? Were they going to be dragged towards their impending execution just as the Master intended to execute Martha publically on the Valiant?

_We won't forget. We'll never forget. _Laura thought. _We'll die there before the paradox machine activates and that's it. My family…_Would her family even remember her? Know she was missing or was she simply written out of their existence? She looked at her friend and down at the crucifix around her neck. They both knew there was only one thing they could do at this moment.

Pray.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Martha coughed as she stumbled through the small restaurant. Instead of going out the front like her original goal was, she went out the back via side door, having been completely flipped around. The smell of the gas was simply nauseating and she gagged, thankful that she hadn't touched any of the fish 'n' chips. It would've just come back up if she had.

She stumbled along the alley, hand shakily supporting her as she exited it. She could only watch helplessly as both Honor and Laura were both loaded into the back of a police vehicle. Cars with tinted windows being driven by armed government agents escorted it quickly away and out of sight.

Legs no longer able to support her, Martha fell to her knees. _It was almost like they knew,_ she thought to herself. _Like they were watching and merely biding their time_. Her ears rang loudly and she swallowed hard, throat dry from the coughing caused by the smoke screen. It started to set in.

That would've been her family if she had called. The girls had warned her, and in return, they were the ones apprehended. It wasn't fair.

Jack was kneeling in front of Martha, shaking her shoulders. Only when he started to click his fingers inches away from her and saying her name loudly, did Martha snap out of it. "Martha, what happened?"

"Some soldiers threw gas in the restaurant, they got Honor and Laura, drove off with them. It's like they knew when you and the Doctor weren't inside. They waited until the three of us were alone!" Martha explained earnestly. "There was a smoke screen, couldn't see a thing, could barely breathe."

"Not your fault," Jack assured her. "I was just behind the building." He paused in regret. "Couldn't get back in time to…" He grimaced. "Saxon obviously waited until he could easily separate the girls. He might be watching us right now, we can't stay here." He eased Martha up to a standing position "C'mon, we need to tell the Doctor what happened and plan our next move." Hurriedly, they ran across the street and into the store. The two of them systematically searched the first and second floor only to turn up empty.

They eventually found the Doctor at the lower level of the shop, critically examining several lengths of wire. He looked up as they approached him, his face morphing from surprise to concern in a split second. "What is it?" He asked, turning to face them. His eyes searched their faces and then looked for his charges. "Where's Honor and Laura? Did they…?" The Time Lord grimaced, already reaching for his sonic screwdriver. He didn't want to think that they had run away again, especially so soon after the compromise they had reached, but their track record left a lot to be desired.

"No," Jack said quickly, face grim. "It's worse. Your friend decided to have them kidnapped instead."

"They threw some canisters in the restaurant, gassed us, couldn't see a thing," Martha added. "Trouble is, I think they were waiting for you to leave. They knew exactly where we were."

The Time Lord's face paled as he looked between the two of his companions. "No," he whispered. This news spoke of trouble on a level bigger than either Martha or Jack fully realized yet. If the Master found out who the girls were, if he looked on the files stored in the TARDIS…Worse yet, if he somehow accessed the ghosted files of the stories the girls made, putting two and two together. Things were going to get very ugly, very quickly.

He wanted to be angry at Martha and Jack. It would've been easier than accepting this was his fault, and he knew that the two humans in front of him were already kicking themselves. However, the blame belonged to him alone, and he knew it. The girls were his responsibility and should not have been left alone, not with anyone, regardless of trust. He should've sent Jack to get the supplies. He should've waited before running the errand. They should've all went to get the supplies first. So many options, so many things that he should've done.

"We need to find them, now," the Doctor asserted, moving to go past his companions. "Which direction did the vehicle go in?" Turning to Martha urgently, he asked, "Phone? I can use it to-"

"Doctor," Jack interrupted cautiously. "We can't go after them now."

The Time Lord whirled around, "And why not? Out of the question leaving them to the Master! If he found out about their Time Lord heritage, their mutated DNA structure alone…" He drew in a deep breath of air. This was what he feared and why he insisted the girls remained with him. To protect them from people like the Master who might put the entire universe at risk. "If he finds out that they're from a parallel universe…" It horrified him to even conceive the notion. His friend was insane and having just regenerated, he didn't seem to take any regard for the rules of time. The paradoxes alone that he could create with the information inside the girls' minds. He swallowed hard at the thought.

"Doctor," Martha started. "That's all speculation right now, and the Master probably doesn't even have time for them. Not with the press conferences he's holding."

"And anyway, how are you going to get to them?" Jack added. "They're obviously going to be put under heavy guard and even using stealth, we are high on the threat list. Saxon probably has all his staff on the lookout for us. With everyone on, not just red but also, _maroon_ alert, we won't even be able to get close to where they are being held. Can't help them if we get captured ourselves, right?"

They were right, the Doctor realized with some reluctance. He couldn't afford to lose his head now. Honor and Laura were gone and currently being held where he couldn't reach them. Being rash wasn't going to improve their situation.

Taking in a deep breath, he released a heavy sigh while closing his eyes to muster up the necessary determination to return to the task that he had previously occupied him. Getting the supplies had cost him his charges, the Doctor would be damned if he ended up not retrieving what he needed to stop the Master, and thereby reclaiming the very girls he promised he would protect.

"Jack, I need you to help me find an eight pin chip, three of them. Well, five, actually…might be useful to have a couple of spares. Martha, a ball of twine would be nice, also still need to borrow your phone…thank you. Now, I just need to decide which ceramic capacitor to use." Truth was, the Doctor had already decided on the twenty-five volt orange ceramic capacitors for their high stability and low losses for resonant circuit application for what he needed to accomplish. He just needed some time to formulate a rescue mission to coincide with his original plan in his attempt to subvert the Master's plan.

A plot that involved a four note beat.

Frowning, the Doctor recreated said four-note beat: _ta-ta-ta-tap, ta-ta-ta-tap, ta-ta-ta-tap_… He was missing something. Something that involved the four-note beat, how he wasn't able to detect the Master sooner, and what surely was lightly telepathic integrating itself into all human minds to simulate the action. He didn't realize how the Master was able to use his hypnosis on such an exponential level. The power and precise control it would take to orchestrate this was considerable…it shouldn't be readily possible, not with a Time Lord on his own and not without outside assistance. Technology that made such a feat possible. The Master had always been stronger telepathically then he was since before the Time War but he had been out of practice for decades since he lingered in the state of being human. The Doctor swallowed thinking of this disadvantage in his upcoming confrontation. Regardless of his time ensconced in another identity, could the Master exert so much power on a global scale? He shook his head. It was just another bit of the puzzle.

He plucked a pack of five capacitors from the box. _One thing at a time_, he warned himself. _Can't afford to make mistakes, not now_. Biting the inside of his cheek in deep thought, the Time Lord wandered off to go find his companions when the phone he was holding vibrated. A brief cursory glance revealed it to be 'Saxon,' the Master was calling.

"Doctor."

"Master."

The other Time Lord gave a sort of half laugh, "Oh, I like it when you say my name."

"You're the one who chose it…a psychiatrist's wet dream…"

"Like yours is much better, 'the Doctor,' the man who makes people better," his tone was mocking. "Tell me, are you going to try to 'fix' me too? Try to save me? I may be a megalomaniac, but at least I'm not insincere about it, Mr. Vainglorious."

The Doctor scoffed. "Speaking of names, what are those creatures? Because the Toclafane are just a myth, might as well have called them the Shakri. It's just a made up name, like the Bogeyman."

"Oh, but, Doctor, there's far more than just seven of them!" The Master laughed. "Fairy tales are sometimes based on the truth, Doctor. Time Lords, Gallifrey, we became legends! But all legends have an origin…where is it, Doctor?"

The Doctor swallowed hard. "Gone."

"Gone? What do you mean 'gone?'"

"It burned." He looked down in shame as he paced down the store aisle.

"And the Time Lords?"

"Dead," the Doctor answered with a finality that brooked no argument. "And the Daleks…more or less. What happened to you?"

"I was only resurrected because the others knew I'd be the _perfect_ warrior for a Time War…I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I _saw_ it, and I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me, because…I was so _scared_."

"I know," the Doctor murmured as Martha and Jack approached him. He motioned for their silence before reaching out with the hand that still held the capacitors, offering it to Jack for him to take. Jack took both the capacitors and the twine to take to the cashier as the Doctor continued his phone conversation, walking out of the store with Martha close behind.

"_All_ of them?" Came the incredulous question after a short and tense silence. "But not you… which must mean-"

"I was the only one who could end it," the Doctor cut in hurriedly. "And I tried. I did, I tried everything." He was all but pleading for forgiveness for what he had done. But the Master wasn't interested in pseudo-apologies.

"What did it _feel_ like, though?" He purred, seemingly in awe of the idea. "Two almighty civilizations _burning_. Oh, tell me, how did that feel?"

"Stop it!" The Doctor demanded, not having expected this reaction. He thought he would've gotten hate, understanding, pity, or anger, but not this.

"You must have been like God."

"You don't realize, I've been all alone ever since…but not anymore. Don't you see? There's just you and me-"

"And your lovely girls. Honor and Laura, was it? Maybe we could go on a double date. Which one do you want? I know you've always had this dodgy obsession with being ginger-"

"Stop it. Don't touch them."

"Ooh, so possessive. What's the phrase? 'Sharing is caring,' Doctor, and I can hear you caring on the other side of this phone…"

"Please, Master, you could stop this right now. We could leave this planet. We can fight across the constellations and bring your wife, Lucy, along too, if that's what you want, but not on Earth and not with them," the Doctor insisted, attempting bribery at this point.

There was a lengthy pause. "Hmm…too late."

"Why do you say that?" He asked apprehensively as Jack exited the store, joining both him and Martha who were seating on a bench. The Doctor removed his TARDIS key and set it pointedly beside him before gesturing at both of his companions then at the key. They began to dig in their pockets as the Doctor listened intently for the answer.

"The drumming. Can't you hear it? I thought it would stop, but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Doctor. The _constant_… drumming." The Doctor paused in his hurried but mostly quiet work as he cradled the cell phone on his shoulder. He frowned in thought, wondering if the drumming that the other Time Lord had heard, even as a human, was a part of his madness. But if that was the case, there would be more indicators of this imbalance when he was Yana, however, it appeared that the noise was one only the Master could hear. Maybe it was something fixable, reversible.

Perhaps it was a subjective form of chronic tinnitus, one that did not go away with regeneration, in which case made this a psychological or possibly prevalent neurological problem. The Doctor was betting on the former, as the origin of this drumming noise was gazing into the vortex. But even if it was merely neurological, it would still require the same treatment: possibly surgery. Tinnitus restructuring and medication was delicate work and his options at the moment were few. He couldn't exactly haul the Master into his med-bay without the TARDIS.

"I could help you," the Doctor realized, unconsciously speaking this epiphany out loud, before affirming it. "Please, let me help. I think I know what might be wrong."

"It's everywhere," the Master continued, as if the Doctor hadn't said anything, distracted by the constant pounding noise in his head. "Listen, listen, _listen_. Here come the drums. Here come the drums."

As the older Time Lord uttered those four words, Martha unconsciously tapped the four-note beat with her fingers on her knee while Jack absently tapped in tandem with Martha but with his left foot instead. _Ta-ta-ta-tap, ta-ta-ta-tap, ta-ta-ta-tap_…

"What have you done?" The Doctor hissed into the phone. "Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Why have you kidnapped Honor and Laura? Tell me!"

"Oh, look," the Master said suddenly, changing the subject. "You're on TV."

"Stop it. Be serious and answer me!"

"No, really. You're on the telly. You and your two companions, which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So, congratulations on that. You're listed as public enemies number one, two, and three." The Doctor cursed, rushing to finish piecing together the last necklace, not even bothering to be surrepticious, before wielding the three little devices he made to each key with his sonic. "Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little posse off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas, so he won't be getting any help from them." The Doctor finished the perception filters and gave a key to Martha and Jack. "Now, go on, off you pop. Off to go attempt to foil my plans. Better start running. Go on, run."

"He's got control of everything, every_one_," the Doctor realized, muttering out loud as he removed the phone from his ear, catching the attention of both Martha and Jack who at once ceased their respective tapping. 

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Martha fretted. "Nowhere is safe."

"We could go to the Hub," Jack suggested.

"No," the Doctor informed him, shaking his head.

Jack frowned. "Look, Doc, I know you have issues with Torchwood, but it's different now. We-"

"It's not that," the Time Lord refuted. "It's just that your team isn't there. The Master tossed them a red herring." Jack cursed as the Doctor offered him an apologetic look a look of apology.

He didn't know. The Doctor didn't know what they should do. Everything was going so far downhill much too fast, snowballing down a mountain. Martha's phone and the Master at current were still connected and only the Doctor could hear the other Time Lord's voice heard. "Run, Doctor. Run as far and as fast as you can, try to buy yourself some time before everything comes together and the trap snaps shut. It makes it all the more fun for me. So, run, run for your life!"

"Doctor?" Jack asked. "We can't stay here, but we don't have anywhere we can go. Any ideas would be nice."

"I said, _run_!" The Master barked.

"We run," the Doctor echoed, snapping the phone closed as they raced away from the shopping district, slipping on their perception filters as the same group of soldiers that had taken Honor and Laura raced to where they had been moments prior…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Warning: This segment discusses (non-graphically) a violent, non-consensual act, which could be disturbing on an emotional level. The next chapter will contain elements of this too. You have been warned.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Both Honor and Laura found themselves shaking when they were brought on board the Valiant hours later in the presence of the Master, restrained by armed guards as he examined them with eager eyes.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time." He smiled as he walked towards them. "You two have been given a rare privilege."

"But why? We're nothin' special. Just human." Honor tried to argue as she fought the grip on her arms.

"Oh on the contrary. I know what you two are and how you will serve the new Gallifrey I'm going to build."

"Gallifrey is gone." Laura managed. "Nothing left. No more Time Lords. There is no point to any of this. Please just let us go." She was terrified. Did he consider them a threat? Would they be served as the first public executions to be witnessed on camera? "We didn't do anything. Didn't stop you from finding out who you were." She took a deep breath. "Don't…please, don't. I have a family. We both do. I haven't even told them good-bye."

"You think I would kill you?" The Master smirked. "Either of you? You don't understand what you mean to me."

"Mean to you." Honor repeated.

"A new Gallifrey needs new Time Lords." He waved his hands to the others in the room. "Humans. Such a primitive, degenerate race but you're something more, aren't you. Imagine what we'll accomplish together. I can start a new family and the two of you, mothers to a new race of Time Lords."

Both of them stared at the Master in shock. "You're nuts." Honor whispered.

"Both with all that artron in your system. Nearly Time Lord but human. Able to conceive without a loom. Oh I will have children from you. The first of many."

They were in shock and Laura took a deep breath seeing the fear in Honor's very expression. What were they going to do? It was happening all over again but this time to her friend as well. Honor hadn't been violated like this yet. Tears came to Laura's eyes and she tried to suppress them as she heard the Master's words.

"Time is short. Which of you ladies would like to enjoy the pleasure of my company first?" His tone was mocking but it was still a choice. First and second. She felt the hands holding them suddenly relinquish and the Master was grinning malevolently. If there was a chance she could spare Honor from this depravity, buy her time…Laura had been through this already. Twice did she know what was to come. She would somehow survive or find her focus again. See her purpose to climb out of the shock she would endure. But Honor….no. She would have no idea what she was facing. Five years ago and now Laura had to let it happen once more. This time, it was her choice. She couldn't let her friend be ruined too. Not when she might be in the position to prevent it. Wasn't she already damaged? This could be her control; her decision and she wouldn't hesitate.

Trembling, she stepped forward. "Me." She said quietly. "I'll go first."

Honor suddenly moved towards her and Laura could feel her fingers seize her forearm. "Like hell you will. I'm not standin' here and lettin' you…." Honor was yanked back by a guard. "No Laura! I'll skin you alive if you do this. You-" A hand muffled her shout.

"Oh do be patient. Won't be long until it's your turn." He smiled with eager anticipation at Laura, now tremendously excited. What sheer bravado it took for this human to step forward and he knew without a doubt how much he would enjoy her. He held out his hand for her to take and Laura stared at it, glancing back at Honor.

"What?" He asked. "Change of heart?" The Master then looked at Honor and suddenly Laura shook her head, stepping forward and put her hand in his as Honor was desperately struggling to get free.

He led Laura away to his own private chamber just beyond the door before glancing back at Honor. "See you soon." He promised. His gaze turned back to Laura as he examined her before taking her into his bedroom and then closing the door behind him.

Honor started to scream as the guard dragged her off in the opposing direction. She knew self-defense and she had to find a way to get back to her friend before it was too late. Instinctively, she bit his hand and with a growl, he stunned her and her eyes widened in pain feeling the jolt of a tazer as she was reduced to lying on the ground with the guard examining her with a smirk. Honor couldn't move and was hardly even able to think. She felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness. Endless time went by before she felt the sensation creep back to her fingers and she was capable to grasp onto the pepper spray she had hidden in her pocket ages ago, something she picked up in the TARDIS just prior to 'Utopia' in case she had cause to use it. Considering the universe she was in, she took it instinctively out of the supply room knowing a situation would arise where it would be necessary to use it. She only wished she had found the canister before.

She played limp a bit longer until the guard seemed to pay her no more than the most meager attention. Then she leapt up and sprayed the contents of the can directly into his eyes. He yelled in blistering pain and she wasted no time in landing a solid right hook to his gut. When he doubled over, Honor placed her interlaced hands on the back of his neck and slammed his face into her kneecap. There was a grunt and muffled crunching sound that made the teen gag. She released the guard who let out a pained groan as grasped his face while writhing on the ground. "I'm sorry," she sputtered automatically, stumbling away from him. She hadn't been thinking, she just reacted. There was no time. She couldn't think about what she had done. There was no time.

Immediately she ran out of the room but then saw an emergency signal at the end of the hallway. Without thought, she yanked it and the alarm perpetrated throughout the area. Mobs of people filled the corridors and she blended in, struggling to the room where she had seen the Master take Laura. She didn't know how long she had been incapacitated by the tazer.

Finally she got there and found to her surprise the door wasn't locked. Throwing it open, she saw Laura lying listless on the bed, her clothing torn, her jeans and underwear already around her ankles, a blanket covering her haphazardly as she stared at the ceiling.

"No…" Honor muttered. She had arrived too late to stop the Master but she made haste to help her friend.

"Laura." She prodded. Her friend barely responded. "Laura!" She snapped her fingers directly in front of her face.

"Is he gone?" Laura whispered.

"Yes, he's gone." Honor said. "Time to get you out of here." She pulled Laura up and helped her pull her jeans back on as Laura shuddered, rubbing her arms.

"I'm sorry." Laura managed. "Sorry I made you mad. Volunteering first. I-"

"Not right now. Kay? Got to get you out of here."

Laura nodded as she was pulled up to her feet by Honor and they ran out of the room towards the direction where the sign indicated emergency escape pods.

"I don't like to fly." Laura looked at the pods distantly, hardly able to put a thought together.

"It will be a short flight. Only a few minutes. You'll land before you know it." Honor glanced around. "Here's one." It was already open and she propelled Laura inside but her friend froze looking at Honor.

"What about you? Not leaving without you."

"There's a pod right here. I'll be right behind you." Honor told her. She bit the inside of her cheek, knowing she was deceiving her own friend. The other pods were inaccessible locked by a security code. The one Laura was in, those measures were offline due to a technical error but it was a one-man pod. Honor would have to stay behind.

Laura took a deep breath. "The year that never was and I'll still remember…" She shuddered. "He…." She could hardly speak.

"You have me. We'll help each other. Remember?" Honor tried to reassure her. She had to get Laura off the Valiant before all hell broke loose.

"Tread carefully." Laura whispered Honor's own words. "See you in a few minutes."

Honor nodded and swallowed as she pressed the button that would release the escape pod containing Laura.

"See you soon." Honor murmured, a tear trickling down her face as she watched the pod eject. She heard footsteps behind her as guards surrounded her immediately followed by the Master who looked at Honor with vague amusement.

"And what were you trying to achieve? I will get her back." The Master proclaimed, nodding to an assistant. "Track and find the pod. Bring the occupant to me alive. She is a top priority."

"Right away sir."

"Like Hell you will." Honor glared at him in disgust for which the Master turned on her.

"Oh, I like you. Such a temper. Unfortunately, I have a meeting with the President so I will have to settle for the anticipation of your company afterward." He smirked at her. Honor cried out as guards seized her arms dragging her forward.

"Detain her. Keep her under constant guard until I'm ready for her." He leered at her. "I'm looking forward to it."

"You sick, psychopathic-" A gloved hand effectively rendered her mute as she was dragged out of one room and barricaded into another, forced to watch the hours tick by until the Master made good on his promise. She felt sickened, knowing what was to come but then she knew why Laura volunteered to go first. She was buying Honor time so if the Master had his turn with Honor, the year would reset and it would be forgotten entirely by her.

Honor bit her lip as tears came to her eyes. "Wasn't your decision to make. Both in this together and you let him do that to you….Laura, how can I…." She didn't know how to finish that sentence. But now she was alone just as Laura would soon realize she had been deserted.

She began to wonder what it would be like to forget a year that went in reverse. Whether some remnant would still exist inside them both or would it indeed be a blank slate. Honor stared at the clock. Only time would tell.

**Author's Note: **The next chapter or so is going to deal with a highly sensitive issue of rape on a purely emotional level. It won't be graphic but we did feel the need to give a warning. We are going for a bit of a darker reality when it comes to the Master and the conception of what he was attempting to build as a New Gallifrey. We do appreciate reviews as insight. We don't mean to stir up flashbacks for anyone, etc. We still hope you find it a bit intriguing but understand the depths a psychopath can reach for. Thank you for your comments in the past. I know this is sort of a risk but I hope you guys can bear with us. Your insight is appreciated as always.


	11. Author's Note-Not A Chapter-Please Read

**Author's Note: **

I'm writing to see if this story is working at all for you guys. It is supposed to be a foundational set up but if you would rather us do something that directly involves Sara and Penny right away as opposed to down the line, which can be facilitated. I'm not sure if we lost any of you during aspects of the story. Whether we went too far at portions or there are directions you don't agree with. Is this something we should continue?

I have to ask because since it is written by two people and sometimes three, it is taking up all those people's time. Maybe things can be said more directly. I don't know. We could continue writing on our own while continuing to consider our options and put this on hiatus for a time until we can ascertain readability.

Thank you for your attention to this.

Emptyvoices and Fan Fictional Authoress


	12. Numb

**Author's Note and Warning: **This will not be a very happy chapter. There are some intense scenes and references to non consensual acts although nothing is explicitly described. Please take note. I will provide a warning for each scene so you can exert caution.

The Doctor lunged forward, knowing that it was now or never. He got further than he expected, but a well-aimed shot from the Master's screwdriver fried the makeshift perception filter and stunned the Doctor with volts of electricity that coursed through his body when it short-circuited. He collapsed to one knee and made to push himself onward again when the two of the Master's guards apprehended him.

The older Time Lord smirked as he waggled the device between two fingers. "_Laser _screwdriver," he explained before simpering, "Who'd have sonic?"

"S-Stop it," the Doctor demanded breathlessly. "Stop it, right now."

"But I'm having _so_ much fun!" The Master mock-whined before scoffing. "And perception filters? As if they would work on me. Shame on you, Doctor. Haven't thought it through, have you? Always playing me for the fool. Not to mention, did you think I wouldn't notice them, their heritage? A Time Lord always knows," he declared, tapping the side of his nose, before leering. "It's no wonder that you tried to keep those two from me, I had lots of fun with-Oh, do get over yourself, freak," the Time Lord sneered, shooting the charging Jack with a laser beam, killing him. The onlookers gasped in horror as Jack fell bonelessly to the ground, Martha rushing to kneel next to the fallen time agent. The Master examined the scene in front of him like a person would examine a particularly uninteresting colony of ants. "Hmm, pathetic. At least he's not dead for long, I get to kill him again!"

"Master, just calm down," the Doctor pleaded. "Just look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself-" He was interrupted with a melodramatic sigh.

"Oh, listen to you natter on and on…" The Master turned to the cameras that were, surprisingly, still aimed at him. "Oh, do excuse me, little bit of personal business. Back in a moment." Turning his attention to the guards, he ordered dismissively, "Let him go." Both men thrust the Doctor forward, causing him to land hard on the floor with a grunt. Casually, the Master sauntered down the steps before sitting on the third stair, making him just above eye level to that of his old friend, forcing the Doctor to peer up at him from his kneeling position. Placement was always key in making impressions, in the Master's opinion. And the impression he was trying to set, was his superiority over the only other person who could ever be his equal.

"It's that sound, isn't it? The drumming, the same beat in the Archangel Network. I could help you, if you would just let me. Please, we can end this. You don't have to do it."

The Master rolled his eyes. "Has anyone ever told you how annoying you could be, Doctor? Hmm? I suppose not with that priceless look on your face. But what could be the best way to shut you up? Ooh, I know, memory lane! Remember Professor Lazarus and his genetic manipulation device? That was all me, I've been laying traps for you and your little pets all this time. And if I can just concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver? Too bad I don't have the Doctor's biological code. Oh, hang on a minute, I _do_!" Gleefully, the Time Lord walked over to the table, which held a giant, metal briefcase and opened it with a flourish, revealing the Doctor's severed hand in a jar. "I've got his hand!"

The Master began to make adjustments on his screwdriver. "I'm not much of a fan of repeat performances, so why don't try something new? What if I reverse it, from young to old by, ooh, how about one hundred years?" Abruptly, he pointed the screwdriver at the Doctor, starting the aging process. The Doctor's cries of pain echoed around the room sending the other occupants cowering from the horrific scene in front of them. The older Time Lord only watch coldly as the Doctor was reduced to the form of an old man, looking much more his actual age.

Martha, after she had been given the vortex manipulator, crawled over to the Doctor, supporting him. "I-I've got you," she told him softly.

"Oh, look, she's the wannabe doctor, too bad there's nothing you can do to fix him," the Master sneered.

"T-The Toclafane…what are they?" The Doctor wheezed, voice so faint it could barely be heard. Curious, the Master crouched down obligingly, tilting his ear towards the other Time Lord and gesturing to say it again in that ear. The Doctor took a breath and asked, "Who are they?"

"Oh, Doctor," he answered softly. "If I told you the truth…" Here the Master paused before reaching forward to rest his hand on other Time Lord's chest, right between his two hearts. "…Your already fragile hearts would break, and I can't have that. Time Lords are too rare a commodity right now."

"Is it time?" A male voiced Toclafane demanded.

"Is the machine singing?" A female voiced one queried.

The Master stood up from his crouching position and checked his watch. "Well, fancy that, two minutes past the hour, eight-oh-two…" Bounding up the stairs, he came to a stop next to Lucy and dramatically spun around to face the cameras. "So! _Earthlings…_Basically, um, End of the World." Raising the fist that held the laser screwdriver, he announced loudly, "Here…Come…The Drums!"

Then the song 'Voodoo Child' began to play throughout the ship, signaling the beginning of the end of Earth.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that's something I haven't seen before." The voice was familiar but Laura only distantly recognized it as her mind stumbled to make a connection. Then she saw his face and she knew. Wilfred Mott. He was kind. Someone she could trust and he was leading her to his car, helping her into the passenger seat.

"Taking you to my house." He said. "Madness is brewing. Just for a little while."

Yes, his house sounded good but there was something important. She left someone behind. "Honor." She whispered. "My friend. She's in trouble."

"Don't worry. We'll find her." He said reassuringly. Traffic was heavy and she looked at the city streets. She was no longer on the Valiant and Honor was gone. She didn't follow. Tears came to Laura's eyes. What if Honor was…She took a deep breath. She couldn't think it right now. The news was repeating something about the US President. He was dead. Killed on board the Valiant. Laura closed her eyes knowing what would happen. The paradox machine. The Toclofanes. The Master would find her. He would hunt her down. Time ticked by and she held her breath and suddenly she felt a hand on her arm.

"You alright?" Wilfred asked, he turned from the steering wheel. "I saw you fall from the sky on that thing. And-"

"Look out!" Laura gasped, heart sinking as she realized that the Year That Never Was was finally beginning. The older man hurriedly turned forward only to let out a gasp of his own.

"What_ is_ that?" Wilfred cried out as he swerved to avoid hitting a Toclafane, which to him just looked like a giant, metal baseball. Unfortunately, it wasn't just that one, there were many others zooming by and around systematically shooting people in a seemingly random manner. No one seemed to notice that in a group of people, only one or two tended to be shot while some seemed to be ignored entirely. Wilf and Laura were designated as one of the lucky few.

It was reasonable to see how the two of them didn't see it that way.

"Can't stay here," Laura murmured. "Need to hide."

"We…We can go to my house. Sylvia's out with her Vivian, but I know my granddaughter, Donna, is home. Maybe she'll remember how to get a hold of that Doctor bloke she told me about," Wilf told his passenger absent-mindedly, concentrating almost entirely in just getting the two of them to his house safely. He was an extremely good driver for his age, managing to avoid hitting cars with hysterical, or sometimes dead, drivers. It was also amazing that he managed not to run over any fleeing pedestrians.

"He can't help us," Laura murmured. "Can't help himself or Honor. She's still there, said she'd follow me. She must of gotten caught."

"How do you mean?" Wilf asked, risking a glance at her and away from the road.

"We were there. He took us. Caught the Doctor too. No help from him. Honor got me out then you found me." Laura shook her head. "It's my fault. I should of made sure. Shouldn't have left her there." She clenched her fists together. Every part of her wanted to disappear and retreat into her mind but she couldn't. Not while her the Master still had her friend. If the Master touched her…

"Who took you?" Wilf was concentrating on driving but occasionally glanced over at his erratic passenger who was tense, staring out the window.

"The Master…." She muttered. "He just killed the President and…" Her voice trailed.

"Hold on." Wilf said. "You mean, Harry Saxon." He repeated in disbelief. He actually liked the man. He projected such an aura of comfort that Wilf knew at once who to vote for but now….well, now it looked like all chaos was breaking lose. He found himself tapped the steering wheel nervously in a synchronous beat. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. The aliens from space. Hadn't Harry Saxon introduced them as friendly visitors wanting nothing more then peace?

"So, Earthlings!" The Prime Minister's voice was high pitched with excitement and Wilf looked at his radio in shock. "Basically…um, end of the world!"

Laura trembled at those words and looked at Wilf who glanced at her. He needed to get them both home. If they were being attacked, he would find his family and secure the four of them in the basement.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard behind them. To Laura's horror, she saw an entire freeway overpass collapse as three Toclofane's headed in direct pursuit of the car, burning everything in its wake.

_Ten percent of the population. _She thought, remembering the Master's proposition to Lucy as the Toclofane's descended to Earth during the show. But it was more then that. They were after them, which meant that they had detected her. The Master likely had her signature. Wilfred was in danger and it was her fault.

"We have to get out of the car!" She said in desperation. Laura remembering a point on the show where the Doctor and his companions jumped out of the vehicle while it was still moving to avert a chase. "There!" She pointed ahead of her to the tunnel. She knew from the Caldecott Tunnel back at home that it had doors for maintenance workers and routes in and out unseen usually by the public.

"What are you doing?" Wilf looked at her in alarm. Was she that traumatized that she would jump out of a moving vehicle at high speed?

"Have to let your car crash into the side of the tunnel and then run." Laura took a deep breath. "They know what it looks like." She paused. "If they think we died in the explosion…" It was a long shot but it was all they had and suddenly Wilf understood. He had served his country before despite the fact that he never fired a gun.

"All right. I'll slow down a bit." This would be difficult for his aged frame to adjust to but if he was going to survive to see any of his family or friends again…"Wrap your arms around your chest like you're hugging yourself, palms crossed over." He saw a grassy knoll just before the bridge with no obstacles. "Move to the backseat."

Laura instantly obeyed so they would be on the side of the door that wasn't facing the traffic. Since in England, the driver and passenger side seats were reversed then she was accustomed to in the states, Wilfred was already in the proper position.

"Okay, should we…" She started.

"Going to slow down to 35 miles per hour. Open the door, jump out, body first towards the front, not the rear of the car. Remember to roll." He said as he looked ahead. "Count of five." He told her. "One, two, three, four and…" He glanced back at the girl behind him one last time. "Now!"

They opened the doors and she pitched her body forward. The impact took her breath away as she found herself rolling chaotically on the ground. Her ears became deafened as she struggled to breathe. Laura could feel the pebbles dig into her skin, every blade of grass, the dirt….her arms, elbows and knees were stinging. Interminable seconds passed and she managed to get air into her lungs, struggling to sit up.

"Wilfred?" She called out, looking around through the haze of her own shock. She started to become frantic when she didn't hear a reply. "Wilf!" She dragged herself to her knees, spotting him several feet from her. Did he lose consciousness? Was he dead? Was he…?

"Not doing that again anytime soon." Wilfred's voice came out as a groan and Laura closed her eyes in relief.

"We have to go." She said urgently to the older gentleman who was struggling to sit up.

"Think…my leg." He wasn't sure but he might have achieved a sprain upon landing on the ground. Laura glanced around. She saw Wilfred's car burning up ahead. The Toclofanes were closing in for examination and she pulled on his arm. "I-I'll help…please, we have to go!"

He looked at the machines approaching and nodded, stumbling to his feet as Laura put her arm around him, supporting him as best she could as they staggered into the depths of the tunnel. The voices of the Toclofane's could be heard behind her.

"The Master won't like this." One said.

"His little prize up in smoke just as the machine started to sing." It was another.

"Continue the search. Remember what he told us."

"Special little human might have lived." Their voices seemed to become distant. Even if they found out she lived, for now had she possibly eluded them?

"We will sense her. He promised us….the darkness…." Their voices faded as Wilf looked at Laura with confusion.

"Aliens are downright mad." He spoke as they found the door to the maintenance shaft and she simply gazed at him.

"More like us then you think." Laura closed her eyes, thinking of all those people and what the Master had subjected them too. The promise of Utopia and the actual reality. _Honor. _She thought. _Oh God, Honor. _She wasn't there to help her friend and now she was forced to climb through the cavernous structure. She took hold of the crucifix she wore and shivered. She remembered the Master's touch. His brutality every time he attacked her. Hours went by before Honor came into the room and she couldn't even scream.

**Warning: Non consensual behavior suggested**

_He immediately reached his hands for her forehead and Laura shook her head, backing away. "No!" She protested. "I volunteered. I…I won't fight you." She knew he was ten times stronger then she was. "Please…there's no point. No reason!"_

_The Master moved so swiftly, she gasped as he latched onto her arm, yanking her forward as his fingers instantly landed on her temples. Tears came out of her eyes and he smiled. "Ooooh but there is a point." He leaned in pressing his lips against her ear. Laura couldn't move. She could already feel his presence inside her head and it was by far different then the Doctor. The steady, persistent beat of drums echoed against her skull, riddling her, pulsating in her mind. In itself, it was agony. That was his insanity._

"_Now this…" He paused with relish as she heard his words vocally and telepathically. "I'll enjoy. Your mind." She felt herself moving backwards, unable to stop herself as she laid down on the bed. "It's been sooo long." His weight pressed against her as his hands traveled up her arms. "And we have hours." He murmured. "Just the two of us."_

_She was struggling internally but the weight of his mind pressed hers down and inwardly she wept, feeling her skin crawl with revulsion. "Now where should we start?" The Master licked his lips, examining his prize. "I think I know." He smirked at her. "Kiss me." He ordered._

_Laura desperately tried to shake her head and refuse but the Master only widened his grin, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear. "You heard me, Laura." The telepathic voice was firm. Relentless. Perverse. "Kiss your Master."_

_She had no choice but to obey and with every command he gave her, she felt even more violated, more exposed. The hours went by and with every brutal, savage moment her desperation to cry out but being forced to be obey his every command demeaned her inside. It was nothing so simple as a violation. She was utterly defiled._

**Scene Ends**

Laura took a deep breath trying to push away the memory of the encounter. To bury it inside her. It wouldn't serve her and it wouldn't help her provide assistance to Honor. "God help me." She said to herself. "Honor you shouldn't have…why did you…?"

Wilf looked at her. "Your friend?" He asked gently.

"Yes, she's…." Laura looked at him lit only by the dim tunnel bulbs hanging overhead. "She's all I have left."

How true that had become. The Doctor….Laura knew what the Master had done to him. Jack was being tortured and Martha was now all on her own.

Remembering the prayers from her Church and from the stories she had previously written, she took to repeating them, this time for her friend, hoping that God was looking out for her. Right now, He was all Honor had. "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and the whole world." Laura whispered fervently and then repeated. "Have mercy on us, please. Have mercy on Honor."

But deep inside, she knew this horrendous year of the Master's creation was one where very little mercy actually existed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Time had passed. Honor couldn't be sure for how long that she had been in the room, but it had been hours, she guessed. Keeping track of the minutes that had gone without a watch wasn't her forte. She had been pacing around the room until recently, trying to come up with any way out that might work, but had yet to contrive any plausible ideas.

She had two options: fight or flight. And by flight, she, of course, meant hide. And by fight, she, of course, meant bowling people over before running away.

Her skin crawled and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Honestly, at the moment she couldn't decide what do, which plan would be the most feasible option before likely failing. And failure meant… She felt tears emerge once again and she attempted to wipe them away. Her sobbing earlier had did nothing but use up time that she could've used planning…and therefore panicking.

The adrenaline surging through her felt wrong, as if she was being stretched thin and on the edge of insanity. Then there was that chilled sensation, not quite cold enough to shiver but not providing warmth to rid herself of the feeling. Honor felt jittery and twitchy. She didn't like it, and it wasn't helping matters at all. But it was being this on edge that helped her come to a decision.

If she hadn't been so alert to all of her surroundings, she wouldn't have caught loud voices beginning to draw ever closer. She panicked and threw herself on the floor, attempting to slide under the bed. The gap between the floor and the bed was a bit of a tight squeeze, which was a little more than a half a foot or so off the ground. She managed to shimmy under it and towards the wall the bed was against, hiding as far beneath as she could possibly get. Breathing hard, she listened as the voices, now only just one, gave directions and orders.

Honor recalled some relaxation techniques from an old class, forcing herself to take breaths of four. _Breathe in for four seconds. Hold it for four seconds. Slowly breathe out for four sec_- The door abruptly opened and she flinched but remained silent, heart pounding in her chest. She heard him walk into the room and pause before starting his search.

Trying to breathe as quietly as possible, Honor closed her eyes and silently prayed in her mind, _Increase my Faith, deepen my commitment in doing what is right, help me to forget self. By keeping my mind and eyes on You, I may have that perfect love, which casts out all fear_. Faintly, it struck her as ironic that a situation that she never thought in her wildest dreams would occur to her: paralleling Penny's plight in another universe where 'Doctor Who' did exist. Only instead of hiding under her bed from a well-meaning Doctor because she thought she had finally lost all sense of reality, she was hiding under her bed from an all-too-real Master who meant her nothing but the greatest harm.

Really, there could have been a better time for her dark sense of humor to rear its ugly head.

There was little else she could do but hope and pray that she would remain hidden as she watched the pair of feet walk around the room and listen to the growls of frustration. She almost thought that this half-baked plan of hiding under the bed would work when the sensation first crept up on her. It was dark and dusty under the bed, a tight squeeze that a large majority of people would have a hard time believing that a girl of Honor's size could fit. This meant the teen's face was pressed to the floor; a floor that hadn't been cleaned likely in several days. With her face so close and it being so dirty, it was no wonder that her nose become irritated and that she felt that strong urge to sneeze.

She pressed her lips tightly together and wriggled her nose, even though everyone knew that wiggling the nose wouldn't disperse the tingling sensation and was therefore a useless action. Tensing, she managed to sneeze silently, whole body shuddering briefly, before she slowly released her breath. The shoes had stopped in the middle of the room in plain sight for her to see.

Her heart stuttered in her chest. Had he heard that? Did he know where she was or was he attempting to pinpoint her location? Honor held her breath, waiting for the Master to come for her, for him to remove the bed or to forcibly yank her out from underneath it. She was done for, there was no place to run from her cramped position pressed against the floor. The set of feet started approaching the bed, getting closer and closer, causing the terrified young woman to squeeze her eyes shut in panic.

Only for the sound of the footsteps to steadily draw away and become fainter.

Honor's eyes flew open, as she listened to the shoes exit the room, door left open as they strode purposefully, and very angrily, away. She could only stare into space, dumbfounded and in disbelief. There was no possible way that had worked, none at all, especially not when she still felt his predatory presence so close by. It could not have been that easy, she knew. He would come back into the room in the next few seconds to throw her off-guard and relish the mind-game he had just played on her.

But when the seconds turned to minutes and the Master still hadn't appeared, Honor wondered if she really did manage to succeed in pulling a fast one over him. _Well_, she thought to herself uneasily. _If it worked all those times in the Classic Who and in all those Doctor Who books I read, who's to say it can't happen here?_ Warily, Honor carefully eased herself from under the bed and crouched beside it, ears alert, attempting to pick up any suspicious noises that would lay suspect to the Master, himself.

There were none.

Honor let out a shaky breath. She had done it, her plan had worked! If she was careful, she could find another hiding place, another small nook or cranny that no one would even dream of ever finding her. Flexibility certainly had its advantages. Feeling hope and the slightest bit of accomplishment, the Minnesotan inched over to the door, toes spread wide as she walked on the pads of her feet, creeping stealthily towards freedom.

She paused inside the threshold, a flash of unease once more coursed through her. Could she do this? Had she even managed to succeed in the first place? How long would she be able to last dashing from one hiding place to another on the ship? The doubts continued to nag at her as she stood there, frozen in indecision. After a moment, she bit her lower lip before her mouth formed the words almost inaudibly, "_No guts, no glory_."

Making a decision, she quickly stuck her head out and looked to the right, seeing a completely empty hallway. Looking to the left, revealed much the same. Feeling a bit braver, she edged out of the room. _Could it have really been that easy?_' She gaped. _Then why don't I feel relieved? I still feel like he's here, like he can see me_… The red head took a hesitant step forward and then another, but still, nothing.

She didn't relax, though. She could have sworn that she felt eyes focusing intently on her, felt breath breezing on the back of her bare neck. Clapping a hand on the spot where she had felt the exhalation, she whirled around and her heart jolted painfully in chest.

The Master had been right behind her the whole time.

Honor's eyes quickly flickered to the ajar door. He likely had hidden behind it. She hadn't realized, didn't even consider that he might have still been in the room. He saw where she looked and his smirk increased in size. They merely stood there for a moment, Honor frozen in place with shock while the Master tensed, just waiting for the first hint of a moment to strike.

Honor jerked backwards and made to flee, causing the Master to lash out and grab at her, pulling her towards him and into the room forcefully. She immediately lashed out herself, attempting to land a blow near that nerve cluster that made Time Lords so vulnerable. However, the angle was wrong and, after her captor realized what she had almost succeeded in doing the first time, he flipped her around so she couldn't fight him properly.

"Aggressive," he growled before laughing. "Did you really think that would work? Hiding under the bed? Impressive use of Time Lord physiology although quite evident you're unable to fight me…" As he said this, he snagged a hand and guided it to where the nerve cluster was. "What else do you know, hmm? Want to show me?"

Honor gulped before gasping out quietly, "No, actually. Not ever."

**Warning; Non consensual behavior suggested**

"Oh, but that's no fun, and it wasn't a suggestion either." His head lowered until it brushed against the side of hers, cheek to cheek, in a faux show of affection. His words revealed it to be anything but. "You will be showing me what you have whether you like it or not. You're mine; you and your friend. And the both of you will_ listen to your Master_."

It happened so quickly, there was no possible way Honor could have noticed what he was going to do or fought against it. His telepathic presence bellicosely took over control like a switch had been flicked. Against her will, she went limp and relaxed against the Time Lord, head lolling on his shoulder. On the outside, she looked tranquil and at ease while on the inside she was panicking, struggling adamantly to recoil but was ultimately unable to run away from the throbbing beat of drums and the malevolent laughter in her mind.

"Not much of a fighter, are you? It's all for show. You're a coward, just like your previous owner, the Doctor, is. Pity. I was hoping for more of a conquest," the Master mused out loud, more to himself than anything else. "Then again, I don't need you for your telepathic abilities, do I? _Inside_." The word echoed through her mind, it was hard to tell if it was her thought or his originally as it ricocheted repeatedly in her head until she obeyed the order and the door was shut behind the both of them.

"Kit off," the Master ordered, smirking as he took off his tie. Honor only stood there, not understanding what he just said at all, and merely looked at him blankly with the vacant smile on her face.

"Do I have to spell it all out for you?" The Master was impatient.

"I don't understand," Honor answered absently, feeling as if there was a prompt for her to respond, an urge to answer that didn't originate from her. "I don't know much British slang."

"Take your clothes off," he told her flatly. "That clear enough for you? Americans, not the brightest bunch, are you? Not if your former president was any indicator..." His voice trailed off when he noticed the red head's hands shaking with effort and how she was apparently refusing his order. "What are you waiting for then? _Take them off._" Jerkily, her hands obeyed the order while her whole mind railed against it.

Despite her words and assurances to the Doctor in previous conversation, Honor was only comfortable with her body's outline and general shape in clothes. The thought of anyone seeing her bare, or even just large amounts of her bare, horrified her. That was why she only generally wore campus sweats and an extra-large t-shirt, why she'd never be caught dead in a bikini, and why none of the clothes she wore went above the knees or elbows and generally never went lower than a few inches beneath her collar bone. These were things that only her husband was supposed to see, and even then, it had been one of her private dreads.

Each piece of fabric that fell on the floor was another shred of her dignity and self-worth gone.

He whistled lowly. "Lovely scars." He was referring to the large stretch marks on her abdomen and chest. "Lost weight?" He made a dismissive motion with a hand to silence her automatic and uncontrollable urge to respond, as he approached her. "Don't really care how massive you used to be… Don't really care much about you at all, actually." His words sent her over the edge in her mind, and the dangerous, predatory air that he could hide at whim was utterly evident then.

"But I don't have to care to have fun, and this time…" His hands ran up her arms as he leaned forward, inhaling the scent of her hair, hovering less than an inch away. "_This _time, I'll take as much from you as I could ever want."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Honor lay on the bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. She felt paralyzed and numb, as if she was under a spell, this one being a trance that she didn't want to break. She knew that the moment she got up to go to the bathroom to shower, to clean off the blood, the filth, she'd snap. This limbo would end, the numbness would cease, and she'd feel the pain. She'd start crying and wailing and wouldn't stop.

The girl felt empty, hollow. Something had been taken that she'd never get back, a loss that she felt distinctly, even now. This haze of sleep, of a mind hardly functioning was what she needed, dulling _It_ just enough. If she wasn't thinking about _It_, or anything else really, she felt like she could hold herself together for just a little longer. Avoidance was her only coping mechanism, especially with her mind's tendency to obsess over anything more than what was necessary or considerably normal.

Sometimes at home, she'd feel a small hole in her chest, becoming lonely and sad beyond belief as she lay on her bed, hoping that sleep would finally take her. So that she wouldn't feel that lonely gap that could so easily be ignored during the day when she was surrounded by distractions. This hole, this emptiness, mirrored the isolation that she had felt then, but magnified to an intense and unbearable amount, even in the state of disassociated shock she was in now. This time, Kiley couldn't help her, her grandparent could offer no assistance, and not even the Doctor wasn't able to intervene. The only other person would understand was gone and, hopefully, would remain that way until the year ended and time rewound for her own good.

Despite herself, tears filled her vision and poured down continuously, nose beginning to prickle. Her haze of safety was fading and reality was beginning to hit her. Her body felt heavy like it was made of stone and there was sharp pain when Honor sat upright. The blood…it was everywhere and she shuddered, gagging as she stumbled to the bathroom. She felt disgusting, filthy, even with the water as hot as she could stand it and skin rubbed raw from the washcloth. All the sweet smelling soap in the world seemed unable to get rid of that particular musty, heady scent that followed in her wake.

Honor gagged again and fell out of the shower in her haste to make it to the toilet where she emptied what remained of the meal that she and Laura had been forced to eat before boarding the Valiant. She gripped the bowl and panted, shivering on the cool floor as water dripped everywhere. For a moment, there was a perfect stillness in the bathroom, where Honor's desperate breaths slowed and the shower continued to run, becoming white noise in the background as steam wafted around her.

Then she once again shuddered and burst into tears, wailing, unable to process her hurt and pain in any other way, grief-stricken and miserable. The pitiable sounds she made were wretched and halting, interrupted with hiccups and snorts. She wept, uncaring of her appearance or what she currently sounded like.

The desire to clean herself once again hit her, and she flushed the toilet, still sobbing as she reentered the shower. The sensation of filth and wrongness did not leave her. She exited and went through the motions of drying herself off, brushing her hair out, cleaning her teeth, and dressing, hoping that it would bring a sense of normalcy, but this, too, failed and she started to weep again. She was a mess and nasty thoughts entered her mind.

_Who'd want you now, you filthy cow? Can't even keep your own pants on_.

_Didn't seem to fight him hard enough last night. Probably got off on it all_.

_Maybe he's right. Maybe I deserve this. Maybe I shouldn't forget, remember what happened as punishment for not fighting more so she wouldn't have to remember what he did to her_.

_I failed. Didn't keep my promise. Never even kissed anyone in my life before and then I just toss everything away. It's my fault, I let him do it. Didn't fight him. I'm a failure, a complete failure_.

_What a waste of space, why do you even bother?_

"I'm sorry," she hiccupped. "I'm sorry. Forgive me, please."

**Scene Ends**

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Forgive me, Honor." Laura muttered to herself. Somehow they had ventured back to Wilfred's home. Neighbors flocked to a communal basement gathering provisions to wait out the deadly Toclafane attack. She managed to warn them to stay inside. That a tenth of humanity would perish and they listened. Somehow they listened.

_How much will I remember? _Laura thought. _Any of this? _She had no idea. The basement was crowded with people desperate for sanctuary. Food had to be measured out although an appetite as always was the least of Laura's concern. She spent days asking each newcomer if they knew a way back onboard the Valiant.

They looked at her as though she was mad. Nevertheless, she had to try. If she didn't focus on Honor, she would retreat. Fade away. Why hadn't the Toclafanes found her by now? Shouldn't they have sensed her signature? She breathed in the same musty smell that had accosted her all week. Those around her couldn't bathe, sharing tight quarters. Fresh air was a scarcity. They heard the radio in the background. Weapons were being built. The Master wanted a war with the rest of the universe but….but, he was on the lookout for her. Anyone caught hiding her would suffer the death penalty without exception. Laura and Martha became priority targets except she was wanted alive. Photos were released but those around her didn't betray her location.

"I'll put you in danger." Laura's voice was faint as she spoke to Wilf.

"We're in danger either way. Hardly matters whether you're here or not." He looked at the girl with sympathy. "As someone who served their country, hardly fitting to turn you over to a monster."

Tears welled up in Laura's eyes. "He still has my friend." She shook her friend. "God knows what he's already done to her. I tried to stop it…it's my fault…I should of made sure and-"

"Nonsense. It's never your fault. What's he's done to either of you. I know it." He reassured.

"I just wish….wish she wasn't all by herself." Laura clenched her fists together. "She's completely and entirely alone."

She closed her eyes, clenching the necklace in her palm. _Honor…._She thought. _Honor, just survive. I'm here. Everything will turn back….just don't give up._

Survival was far more difficult then Laura anticipated. Disease was starting to spread in the confines of the shelter and there was little in the way of medicine. Antibiotics were only available on the outside and the Toclafanes were everywhere. Living in close quarters, she had to witness those around her die from common ailments since no help could be provided. Laura survived. No…she lived. The artron in her system boosted her immune system to an absurd degree so she didn't get ill but she couldn't heal like Sara could. She tried to manifest items that could be made useful but such heavy-duty medicine was beyond her expertise.

It wasn't long before she suffered bouts of nausea that were unceasing. She could keep nothing down and often she would find herself doubled over, her hands wrapped around her abdomen, sweat pouring off her brow. Did her own immune system fail her? Was she becoming ill as well? It wasn't until Sylvia, Wilfred's daughter approached her and asked when she received her last period that she knew. Her nausea seemed to rebound all over again. She wanted to weep and scream all at the same time.

All those hours the Master brutally attacked her and he had gotten her pregnant. She couldn't even resist him in that. Now, if he found out….she breathed hard, staring at Sylvia who took hold of her hand.

"Might be able to find you a pill that will cause a miscarriage. No guarantees but-"

"No." Laura finally spoke and Sylvia glanced at her in surprise.

"But you were forced. Surely, you don't want-"

"I can't." Laura shook her head. "The baby. It's innocent and it's a part of me. I….just can't. I have to…." Her voice trailed as she put her hand onto her stomach. How soon would she feel the child move inside her? The first kick? Regardless of the savagery that had been forced upon her, the child was hers and no one else's, least of all the Master. _He won't. I won't let him take my child._

But there was still the question of Honor. Several weeks had gone by. Martha, Laura knew was making her trip, speaking to households about the Doctor and Laura could feel the baby growing inside of her. Soon, she would be more clumsy and be in less position to move as feasibly. She had cravings that came and went within minutes of each other. Even if she tried to satiate one, a second later, it would disappear and an urge for a strawberry would taste like sand. Her nausea would return. Her joints would hurt.

To make matters worse, the death toll inside their shelter was continuing to rise. They had no doctors and no antibiotics to treat those made ill by the detestable living conditions. Laura couldn't stand it. Seeing one person die after another and she heard that other shelters were close by that could have first aide. When a four year old that reminded her of her own niece lapsed into a severe fever, Laura knew enough was enough. Something had to be done. It would only be a matter of time before everyone became infected. How would that help her baby? Honor's sacrifice so Laura could live in obscurity would be in vane if she was surrounded by a series of corpses. She couldn't….she just wouldn't let that happen. So she broached the subject of her sneaking out at night to the very next shelter for supplies. Maybe she would get word on Martha's progress or news of what was happening on the Valiant. It might give them some degree of hope.

The community inside was against it. "No, absolutely not." Wilf insisted. "Young girl like you, five months along. Too dangerous."

Donna had agreed even though Laura had attempted to keep a low profile around her just in case. "Out of your bleeding mind. All those machines running like mad. Downright mental." She told Laura. "Already lost too many in here and-"

"We'll just lose more!" Laura insisted. "People are dying! I heard there's a doctor next door. It's not far." She took a deep breath. "At least with some antibiotics, we stand a chance. I can't just be here and not do anything! I-" She didn't know what else she could say.

"They'll fry you the minute you step outside." Sylvia shook her head.

"Not so many out at night. People keep off the streets then." Laura looked at them. "It's just a couple blocks." She swallowed. "They won't even see me."

Regardless of how she argued, they stood firm. They weren't going to let her venture out of the house. It left Laura very few options. Two nights later, she quietly waited for everyone to fall asleep and then stood, making her way to the door. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she opened it slowly. A tell tale creak seemed to echo through the room and she drew in a deep breath of air. No one seemed to hear as she turned to gaze frantically at the sleeping occupants. It was one small point in her favor as she made her way up the steps.

"Where do ya think you're going?" It was Donna's voice behind her.

Laura's breath came out as a whoosh. She started to run up the stairs and out the door, away from the Doctor's future companion who attempted to pursue her before she left the premises of the house. Laura ventured out first and was greeted by a cold blast of fresh air overcome with the invigorating sense of the welcoming breeze. It was such a refreshing change from the musty basement with the pungent body odor of all the bodies that co-existed within. The stench and decay of those who lived or died within that area constantly pervaded her nostrils. For now, outside, all she could see were the outline of buildings and a clear view of stars overhead.

Immediately, she turned right towards the other shelters, taking deep breaths as she headed down the sidewalk, welcoming the cold wind and crumbled asphalt just beneath her feet. At least, she was being productive. She was on her way to try to help them. She had been right. It took her only a minute to arrive at the next shelter.

Of course, they had been hesitant to let her in at first but she pleaded. Told them half the people they started with were already dead and a man in his seventies emerged looking at her wearily. "Remember what the girl told us. Have to have hope. At least until that time." He nodded at Laura. "She needs our help."

"We don't have much left ourselves." A woman tried to argue.

"And yet, we are all still alive." He refuted and then looked at the girl in front of him. "You look like you could use a good meal and a change of clothes." His voice was gentle and Laura pressed her lips together as tears threatened to emerge. She could hardly speak and he simply took her arm. "Why don't you come into the kitchen?"

Finally, she nodded, allowing him to lead her deeper inside the dwelling as the man offered her a chair at the table, before heating a can of soup on the stove.

"Mad times we're living in, isn't it?" He asked. "Name is Harry Sullivan by the way. Used to work for UNIT once upon a time." He grimaced. "Oh, I'm sorry, that means…"

"Unified Intelligence Force." Laura finished, glancing up at the man with renewed interest. His name sounded familiar. Hadn't Amber mentioned him before? "You knew the Doctor, didn't you?"

"How did you…" He paused. "Were you his companion?"

Laura frowned. Companion implied consent. She had never been willing and if the Doctor had at any time agreed to let then live off the TARDIS…she took a deep breath.

"It's complicated. We…he…" She bit her lip. "He never asked. He forced us to travel with him and then I was…" She put her hands on her belly, feeling tears come to her eyes. "When the Master took me, I…"

"Oh, my dear, I am so sorry." He shook his head in disgust as he took the soup off the stove, placing it before her. She simply seemed to stare at it. "Tell me, what's your name?"

"Laura." She managed to whisper.

"A lovely name." He told her. "Do you mind if I have a look?" He gestured to her abdomen and Laura winced.

"Dr. Sullivan, the Master, he's the…" Her voice trailed. She couldn't say it. "I would never have an abortion but still, the child's not entirely…" She paused. "I can't let the Master get his hands on her." Somehow, Laura had the feeling it would be a girl. "She's mine. She's a part of me and the Master could…" Laura was breathing hard.

"I understand." Dr. Sullivan said. "But you know what? I was there when the Doctor changed and helped the Doctor during his third regeneration when he went into a coma." He chuckled. "Even Brigadier Stuart was panicking a bit then. Didn't know what to do." He looked at the girl in front of him. "So, I've had a bit of experience with Time Lord physiology. We can just make sure she's coming along all right." He suggested.

Minutes later when he offered to let Laura hear the baby's two heart beats, her smile instantly lit up the room. It was her child, alive inside her and the joy she felt was one she hadn't experienced in months. She turned to the Doctor's former companion with a look of gratitude.

"Thank you." It was the best gift she could have received during this entire wretched time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Medication in hand, Laura made her way back to her original shelter feeling better with a change of clothes that Dr. Sullivan had offered her. She wished she knew about him before she entered this universe but the truth was, her study of Classic Who was sadly lacking. Still, on the other hand, it was refreshing to meet someone from the Doctor's past that actually required introduction.

He was decent. Kind and gentle. She considered him briefly. _Maybe heroes do exist. _She thought. Laura took a deep breath and kept her pace on the sidewalk until she was suddenly torn from her thoughts by the sound of an explosion.

Guns going off. Flames venting into the air.

_No. It can't…_Laura thought. _It just…_

She was staring in horror to see her former shelter consumed by fire with military and Toclofanes surrounding it.

"Subject was reported to have been hiding here." Laura heard one of the personnel say.

"No sighting of her?" Another asked.

The other shook his head. "We swept the premises before we instituted the lock down and executed the survivors." His voice was flat.

Laura backed away, feeling bile surge into her throat. Dead. Wilfred, Sylvia. Donna. Every other survivor died in there because of her. How could she…?

"Fan out. Sweep the perimeter. She can't have gotten far."

_No. _She couldn't just let the Master take her. God knows what he would do to her baby once she was born and then how soon would it be before he demanded another? Laura desperately tried to steel herself as she staggered down an alley. For the sake of her child, she had to run. She had to find another shelter. This time, she wouldn't tell them her real name. An alias would do this time to try to keep others out of harms way. Inwardly, she said a prayer for everyone in that building as she desperately tried to console herself. _It's okay. Going to be okay. When time reverses, none of this will happen. They will all be alive…have to be alive….none of this…_She took a deep breath. _All forgotten, remember? _She reminded herself._ The year that never was._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Somehow Laura made it to another shelter, telling them her name was Sara. _Sara. _Laura thought. _What would she do? _At that moment, it was hard to be certain. The shelter agreed to let her stay for a day or two considering her condition. It was as much as she could ask for. She stayed in the background, listening for news. They were searching for Martha still. Anyone's best guess was that she currently making her way through the south of France. Nothing was said about Honor. It was only later that another picture of Laura was shown on the TV that Laura knew she had to leave immediately before the shelter realized who she was. Making use of a scarf, she tied it around her hair as a disguise, changing clothes to hide her pregnancy.

The next shelter didn't recognize her in the slightest. For that week, that was how she lived, moving from place to place, never staying in one hiding spot for too long for fear of being located. She didn't want more blood on her hands. _Maybe if I just get out of London. _Laura thought. But she discarded that idea. She wanted to wait for Martha She would eventually return and when she did, Laura would know that was a sign that this horrible year was finally coming to an end.

Fortune certainly wasn't in her favor as fate continued to work against her. She was recognized one night, falling asleep in a chair when the scarf she took to wearing, came loose and revealed her hair making her features readily identifiable.

"It's her." A teenager shrieked. "Laura Stuart. The one they've been looking for." That jolted Laura out of her slumber as she looked around the room in panic.

The girl's father approached, narrowing his eyes at Laura. "Resemblance is uncanny." He paused. "You said your name is Sara. So tell me, was that the truth?"

Laura struggled to sit up, pressing her hand instinctively against her belly. "Look, it's okay. I'll just leave. Right now. I didn't mean-"

"It's her." He confirmed. "News said they suspected she might be pregnant."

"Wait…" Laura started. "Please."

"What are we going to do with her?" His daughter asked.

The father looked at Laura introspectively. Harry Saxon asserted anyone caught hiding Laura Stuart, past or present would suffer the death penalty however there was also the promise of a reward for those responsible in her safe return. He wasn't risking his family and if this meant far better rations, a better quality of life, this girl might be worth it. After all, they didn't want to kill her. It was stressed they wanted her back alive.

"We turn her in." He confirmed and Laura shook her head in desperation, starting to back away. She shrieked as her arms were seized and she was dragged to the door so they could catch the attention of the military surveillance and Toclofanes on the street.

"No! Don't do this! Please don't do this! You have no idea what the Master will do! He-"

"Now, don't make this any harder then it has to be." He told her as she continued to rail against them. Turning from her, he managed to catch the attention of a passing guard control.

"Got someone you're looking for." He told them as they approached. "Believe you promised a reward."

"You have Laura Stuart?" One of the soldiers raised his eyebrows, reaching forward as he gripped the girl's chin for a better examination.

"No! Don't touch me! Get away from me!" Laura screamed in protest as she tried to jerk her head away. She was instantly scanned with an instrument and the soldier nodded in confirmation. "Identity confirmed. Let's get her loaded."

Multiple hands grabbed her arms dragging her forward as she was suddenly being restrained on a stretcher with straps put into place over her chest and legs. Tears came to her eyes as she felt an IV being threaded into her vein before they started to wheel her away towards the military truck parked nearby.

"My reward?" The man who betrayed her asked the soldier.

"Will shortly be forthcoming." Replied the solider and Laura started to cry inwardly. _Enjoy your twenty pieces of silver. _Her thoughts were wretched. She couldn't blame people for not wanting her to stay but this? How could she protect her baby now? A sob rose in her throat as she started to weep uncontrollably.

"Target is secured." A man's voice echoed just before a syringe was introduced into the IV bag. Seconds later she felt her entire grasp of consciousness slipping away while the doors of the vehicle slammed, pitching her into darkness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Honor had lost track of the days. She honestly hadn't been paying attention nor had she really cared to. Most days, she looked out of the window in one of the few rooms that she was allowed to occupy other than her quarters where she and, occasionally, the Master slept. Never had she sympathized with endangered animals in zoo exhibits quite like she did now. She had been forced to become like them, trapped in a large cage and urged repeatedly to breed by any means necessary. She felt like she had been reduced to one over the course of the last few months, like she was a sort of novelty pet, trained to obey every command.

As though she had any choice in the matter.

There was very little that Honor had the freedom to do, and, actually, it wasn't even a freedom but a privilege, a _reward_, for no further escape attempts. It was unlikely she would succeed anyway, as there wasn't a way for her to tangibly get off the Valiant. She always had a Toclafane guard with her and suspected that it was the same one every time but couldn't be for sure. She was never left on her own unless secured in her room or with the Master himself.

Mostly what she did was read the books, in a room that could have been considered a large study or a small library, and look out the window, watching the sky as it continuously to seamlessly changed. Other times she prayed, usually a decade of Divine Mercy for Laura's wellbeing and continued safety in obscurity. Sometimes, she sang or talked to herself quietly to pass the long hours alone. No one really talked to her except for the Jones family, which had been abducted by the Master to Honor's dismay.

Once, Lucy visited her. It was a random and unplanned occurrence, a surprise to the red head when she had expected to never cross paths with the Master's wife. Her impression of Lucy was one of a woman who was proud in the sense that she would go all or nothing, never lukewarm in her decisions or actions, everything considered and decided upon. Honor had the feeling that Lucy was of the mind that she dug her own grave and would lie in it.

The woman never said anything. Just sat with Honor and watched the storm with her, lightning flashing and rain pattering against the window.

Lately, the Master had been getting frustrated, impatient with his lack of success in impregnating the red head, and had become more aggressive lately, visiting Honor frequently in his attempts. She couldn't be sure, but perhaps that was the reason Lucy visited? To see the reason behind her husband's absence?

No, that didn't appear to fit. Lucy had visited for something else entirely, Honor felt certain but an explanation for her was still not forthcoming.

It didn't really matter, but with so little happening around her, so few distractions, the Minnesotan had the tendency to obsess over things until they lost their ability in keeping her intrigued. One thing that never failed to dissipate over time was the small, warped sense of superiority that Honor felt over the Master. It wasn't about something as ostentatious or grand as complete dominion over in entire race of about five and a half billion individuals. But it was about the fact that she knew _exactly_ why the dictator of those 5.4 billion people wasn't succeeding in getting her pregnant while he apparently didn't have a clue.

In all honesty, when she first found out about her condition all those years ago back at home, she had been upset and a bit depressed. Besides making it three times more difficult to have children, she was also about that much more likely to come down with endometrial cancer. She had considered it a burden, a hassle. Having to take a pill every day to manage her cycle, having to work extra hard just to _maintain_ her weight within a five pound range, having to shave where she shouldn't have to… Never had she thought that it would be an advantage to her in some way, but anything that could help her rebel against the Master now was okay in her book, even if it was one of her little issues that would always be eating away at her subconscious, bothering her to no end.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, even if they weren't what Honor would normally classify as 'good.' Ah, how perspectives change when a person is under duress…

The Master had decided to bring in a human doctor to ascertain the reason of her infertility. Honor wanted to be uncomfortable that not just the Master but a complete stranger, even if he was a medical doctor, was going to see things that she really rather remain private, but the Time Lord in question didn't really give her a choice in the matter. He never did.

He wanted no stone unturned, wanting to know the exact reason, and have the problem resolved. The gynecologist gave her a physical and pelvic examination, reporting there to be some swelling and tearing, but that was largely unsurprising. It was only when he did an ultrasound that he found the problem. "There," he said, pointing at the screen. "You can see multiple follicles around the outer rim of her ovaries, which are a bit enlarged... From what I can see here and the other symptoms I've observed involving signs of increased androgen levels. It's likely that she has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a common endocrine disorder that can affect around five to ten percent of females. There's no conclusive way to test for it, but all the symptoms are present."

This hadn't surprised Honor at all, having being given the same diagnosis years ago when she went to a specialist to find out the reason for her symptoms. There wasn't a cure for it, although, she vaguely recalled the doctor mentioning that hormone levels sometimes were reset after the first baby. The trick was, however, was to get pregnant in the first place, which obviously now wasn't going very well at all. With advice from the gynecologist and a dietician, a new regime was set for the teen.

Her diet was restricted and changed to a high fiber and low sugar, low carb intake. Not that she had been exactly eating sweets or junk food of any sort during her months here, but the lack of sugar was noticed when she received her tea without any additional sweetener. The fruits did help a bit for her cravings, and as she was left with little other choice, Honor managed, privately thinking to herself that it was probably better for her to be on this diet regardless. As another plus, she got to wander around the Valiant for exercise as well as do stretches and muscle exercises twice a day.

When Honor looked in the mirror, she found herself regaining the figure she had back when she was in sixth grade. It had been a long while since she had been that in shape. A few years since she had been anywhere near the weight of 140-something pounds, and it brought memories of warm sun, climbing trees, and running around with the neighbor kids. A biting sense of nostalgia made her crave the summer breezes that she saw outside the window and she longed to breathe in the fresh air.

Despite being in what was likely the best shape of her life, Honor only felt depressed and listless, thinking the entire matter to be an exercise in futility. Not to mention the hot flashes, bloating, and the fact her breasts had the tendency to ache. Usually her mood vacillated between anger and sadness at the drop of a hat. Sometimes she burst into tears while other times she became physically aggressive for no reason at all, even going so far as to take a swing at the Master himself.

However, said Time Lord wasn't concerned about this, having been informed of the side effects of the hormones injections and clomiphene citrate that Honor was being forcibly given. He was of the mind that if he had to put up with the red head being a little testy and emotional, so be it. Just so long as he got the results he desired.

Then when about two months of this passed, the one thing Honor thought would never happen, did.

She got pregnant.

She didn't take the news gracefully at all. Actually, the teen fainted, passed out cold. There were only a few times that Honor could remember ever doing that but she was grateful that she didn't swoon such like it was portrayed in the movies. And it wasn't really the news itself, but what she did after she had gotten the announcement.

Honor had stood up. Simple as that.

Despite having been considered large, her blood pressure had always been slightly lower than what was expected. She had gotten this low blood pressure from her mother, and sometimes when she stood up too fast or shifted into a certain position for an extended period of time, she'd experience a hot flash and black spots dancing in front of her eyes. Once she had toppled to the ground, the sense of weakness had hit her so strongly, causing her grandma to panic. She didn't lose consciousness, just l the strength to support herself momentarily.

But now, with all the weight she had lost, her blood pressure had decreased even further and when she experienced such an abrupt change in position, Honor simply fell to the ground and even then, she didn't immediately pass out. A tingly buzzy feeling spread throughout her body, like she was vibrating or that not just her legs but her whole body fell asleep. Sound seemed distant and muted, growing further and further away. She had felt distantly amused to hear the Master panic but couldn't find the strength to answer him when he demanded that she say something, her tongue feeling so heavy, like lead. By then, she just felt so tired that she merely fell asleep.

This had occurred in a matter of moments, so didn't appear as if she fell asleep, it looked as if she fallen over dead.

As consequence of alarming the Master, she was closely monitored for anymore 'fainting spells,' eliminating her already limited privacy. Her shock had eventually given way to a sort of conflicted happiness. The idea that she was having a baby was almost too good to be true. Honor had gone about living her life the past few years on the assumption that she probably never would, this belief only entrenching further into her mind when all the Master's previous attempts had failed.

Having a child of her own, one to call hers, was a Godsend, even if the father was an absolute monster. It wasn't the baby's fault who sired them, and the baby was a part of her, crafted by God's very hands, a gift. There was no possible way she could ever hate or think anything untoward such a blameless and innocent individual. The idea of harm of any sort befalling the baby made Honor paranoid and protective. Let anyone try to come between her and her baby, and she'd tear them apart, render them into tiny, little pieces, and that went double for the father. He wouldn't be getting away with any abuse to the child on her watch. Not as long as she had anything to say about it.

Actually, if all went well, he'd never lay eyes on their baby, let alone touch him or her.

This brought an equal sense of relief and despair, her baby would be safe but time would rewind and she wouldn't forget. She almost felt as if she was squandering Laura's sacrifice, one that was made so that she'd specifically have the option to forget. But this was one thing, one certain notion that she never ever wanted to undo in her life, even if it meant remembering all the suffering and isolation she had experienced and was likely to continue facing. Set in this decision, Honor settled down, counting the days until she'd see her baby and hold the child in her arms.

Several weeks passed when the news reached her: Laura Stuart had been found.

Relief that she was alive warred with the horror that her friend had finally been hunted down and captured. The Master had been so triumphant and smug about it too. And when he revealed that Laura, too, was with child, Honor closed her eyes in prayer, giving thanks that the Master wouldn't touch her again, not when there wasn't a need with her already pregnant. They would both be left alone in subsequent isolation for the rest of the year, but at least now they would have each other.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Laura awoke back to a nightmare finding herself in the very room the Master had assaulted her in. She was dizzy from the sedatives, struggling to push herself off the bed when the door opened and Tish, Martha's sister, walked inside carrying a tray of food. Laura's eyes widened.

"Tish, I thought you…" She winced briefly. She had hoped she might have eluded the Master but the other girl just shook her head, her expression dull.

"Had me taken that night with my Mum and Dad." Tish grimaced as she put the tray on the side table by Laura's bed. "Martha is…"

"I know." Laura said faintly, looking at her hands, swallowing hard. Her body started to tremble. "Can you help us? Honor and I…the Master…he…" She could hardly say the word. She promised to never let it happen again and now it not only occurred to her but to her friend as well. She had failed miserably in the oath she had sworn to abide by.

"I can't." Tish's face was prominent with regret but if there was no way of the Valiant for her, how would she manage to help his two most valuable prizes escape. Oh, she knew what the Master had done to Honor and Laura. The Master had made it no secret and it sickened her but an attempt at interceding could mean her own family's demise. "I don't know a way off and my family….he'll kill them in a second…I'm…" She looked away, not even wanting to meet Laura's eyes. How would she feel if she was in that girl's place. At least laboring as a servant was better then being attacked repeatedly and forced to bear his children. Tish took a deep breath.

"You need to eat." She managed, indicating the tray but Laura shook her head as tears came to her eyes.

"No." She muttered in response, looking at the door. "Don't need to do anything." If Laura wouldn't eat for the Doctor, she surely wouldn't eat for the Master. Especially not after what he had done to either herself or Honor. 'He's pathetic and a coward." Her resentment was rising to the surface. "So you can tell the Master to-"

"Oh, now, why don't you tell me yourself?" The Master had entered the room, appraising Laura and her condition with a smirk before meeting her eyes as she looked at him suddenly frozen. "Can't have forgotten already, now could you?"

Seeing her attacker caused bile to surge to her throat. She was caught momentarily in her own shock between her impulse to run or to scream at the top of her lungs. Breathing hard, she looked around. There was nowhere to go. The Master would have her the second she bolted towards the door, so briefly she closed her eyes willing herself to bury the memory of his assault in the deeper recesses of her mind. She imagined a door to a basement in her home that didn't exist. Homes in California never required underground dwelling but for her the basement was the refuge to place her most painful memories where she would try to submerge them behind a thick paneled barrier.

Yet, memories such as these never wanted to remain hidden in dismal corridors. Each time, they attempted to burst their way through that door she created, it required twice as much energy to force them back into the recesses of her unconsciousness.

"Go to hell." She muttered. She couldn't help the contempt that rose to the surface at the man in front of her.

"So insightful." He mocked. "And I learned so much from you, Laura." He walked closer to her. "Found a treasure trove on the TARDIS. 'Lost in Reality'." He grinned as her face paled. "So it does ring a bell."

"It's just a story." Laura said quickly.

"Just a story." The Master repeated. "Where I play such an important part." He looked at the girl closely. "Is this the future?" He knew the girls had precognitive abilities but the level of detail this story had intrigued him. Once he read it, he also had a search initiated for the other author listed on the story. Since there were well over 369 million listings for those with the first name of Amber, that hunt was indeed prolonged if indeed the girl survived the initial Toclofane attack. He looked at Laura expectantly.

"Another author and I wrote a story based on information we found out about the Doctor and you online." Laura told him. It was the truth since Laura knew the knowledge of the Doctor was prominent and posted in this universe as well as there being a plethora of details about the TV show one could find on the internet in her original dimension. "I'm…" Her voice trailed. "I was a creative arts major. We were just writing and I didn't know it was…." Her hands trembled. "How could I have known it was…." She struggled to breathe.

"True." The Master finished. It confirmed some things. If she was sensing timelines and then mixing them with fiction, he wouldn't be able to determine from her mind what her perception was apart from the fictional elements. Nevertheless, he might peruse the stories further and then take the opportunity to search her mind. Since they were both under his eye, he indeed had the time.

He glanced at Laura's untouched meal tray and then at the girl in the bed. "On another note, you will eat everything that is given to you."

Laura folded her arms across her chest. "No." She refused. "I won't." She gritted her teeth. "Where's Honor? What have you done to-"

He suddenly lunged forward onto the bed, grabbing her arms and brutally yanking her towards him so they were no face to face. She let out a gasp.

"Oooh, perhaps you've forgotten Laura who I am." The Master mocked as she railed against his hold. "Do you need a reminder?" Gripping her chin, he placed two fingers against her temple as she cried out in desperation.

"No! Please don't!" She remembered the pain of his mental touch last time. It was brutal, relentless and insistent for the hours that she was forced to submit to him. "Just wait! I-"

"Quiet." He ordered and his voice resounded in her skull. The words died in her throat as she was suddenly rendered mute. _"Obey _your Master."

The pain was back. The beat of the drums was agonizing. She wanted to groan but she couldn't give any protest to his intrusion. Why was the Doctor's mental touch so different? Even when he forcefully compelled her, it never hurt. It even felt….tranquil but the Master's….the drums were inside her head but there was also him and the way his presence penetrated her mind…exposing her….she froze, reminded briefly of how she described the Time Lord Victorious during his darkest periods before and after he went to Mars.

This was the Master. Intimate. Exposed. Him crawling into her mind and through her thoughts. Did nothing belong to her anymore? Was nothing sacred? Again, she wanted to cry at the utter desolation she was feeling.

"Now, where was I?" The Master seemed to muse as he examined her. "Oh yes, you will eat everything that is brought to you without exception. Do you understand?"

"Eat everything without exception." Laura repeated, her voice dull. She was unable to stop herself.

"That's my girl." He smiled at her. "No starving yourself. I expect you to stay alive a very long time." The girl's altered lifespan would definitively serve to his benefit. "My children need their mother, don't they?" He stared at her. "And with you, I'll have so many more." He put his hand on her belly where the baby was becoming prominent. "Won't we?"

Laura was silent, her skin crawling wanting nothing more then for him to stop touching her. _My baby….I can't…not him…_She couldn't move as he stroked her abdomen before looking at her. "Well, Laura, won't we?"

"So many…" Her throat went dry as her voice died out. She couldn't finish that sentence. This couldn't be happening. Maybe, just maybe, it was all one very long nightmare. Perhaps she would at any moment wake up in her own bed back at home in her real universe. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

"Eat." He commanded with finality before releasing her and Laura collapsed back on the pillows, shuddering. However, when the tray was put in front of her, she couldn't prevent herself from consuming the meal in front of her. His command had taken over and she couldn't override it. The very suggestion the Doctor had made and the Great Intelligence had threatened, the Master had imposed. He enjoyed taking away every shred of free will, a bit at a time. She couldn't stop her hand from reaching for the fork.

_Just like a dalek. _She thought with horror. _A Cyberman. After he's done with me, will there be anything human of me left?_

She shivered, the fork clattering against her teeth as she looked at her captor hating herself for begging but seeing no other choice. "Honor. Please, let me see her." She pleaded. "You….you got what you want. Could I please…?"

He tilted his head. "Seeing as you both fulfilled your role for now, I suppose I can be generous."

Laura swallowed. He was going to let her see her friend. Wait. Role. They both fulfilled their role. That meant….

"Honor. She's…" Laura pressed her lips together looking at the Master in outward disgust.

"Oh I'm very determined. It just took some persistence." The Master remembered Honor's satisfaction in the fact that he wasn't able to get her pregnant. That was until he forced her onto a fertility regimen of his own design. Practice of course made perfect. He smiled remembering Honor's expression when he brought the girl the news of her pregnancy. Of course he would succeed. He was the Master after all.

He made his way out of the room, knowing his people would see that the girl's were under constant vigilance. With his security measures in place, there was no way off the Valiant, at least not for Honor and Laura. He shook his head, smiling with anticipation. That matter tended to for now, he desired some true quality time with his wife. With her, at least, he didn't have to exert any caution when it came to physical treatment. He was free to be wholly and truly himself. He considered briefly on one hand if Lucy enjoyed or relished such attention but then he gave a diffident shrug. Whether she liked it or not, it didn't matter. She was just a human after all.

**Author's Note: **Well, midway into the 'year that never was'. At any rate, we also wish to let you know that a story has been posted that will be a direct link to this one about Sara and Penny. It is an entirely fresh take based on this scenario and the connection (multiple timelines). That will start to reveal itself in both stories but chapter one is up. It is called 'Worlds Within Worlds' and starts directly at the time when the Time Lord Victorious faces Rasillon with Sara and her AU adventure of what's to come with Penny. I hope you enjoy it. We will write in tandem with this one. It is also published under the same user name. Let us know how we are doing. It was rather refreshing writing for Sara again.


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